Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6
I think Jeff was only talking about me. He did say "smart and handsome" after all. 
But to Jeff's point, and to mine, history is littered with companies having absolute market dominance only to become memories.
Remember Lotus 1-2-3? 100% marketshare. Gone.
Cadillac would have gone the same way if they hadn't changed direction. They make great cars today.
Harley risks becoming Lotus 123 or blossoming into the new Cadillac. |
Agreed, Shaun, absolutely. H-D has already teetered on the edge of the dustbin of history, more than once in their storied history. Hell, Porsche was there in the '90's. It can, and does, happen to the best of them.
I think we can all agree that H-D needs to do something or risk going down once again. And, unlike GM, they are not "too big to fail". Yes, they have relied upon government help in the past (in the form of tariffs, which they, to their credit, had the government end prior to the agreed upon date), but a full fledged bailout ain't gonna happen. Maybe another unfriendly takeover (can anyone spell "AMF"?). None of those options would be pretty or good for the long-term health of the company.
So, here we are - like i said, they are doing exactly what so many of you have said for so long is necessary for their survival. They are coming out with something entirely new, at least for them. I applaud them for that, and wish them well.