Quoted from (ADM) American Motorcycle Dealer Magazine:

Harley-Davidson has reported that first-quarter 2010 revenue from Motorcycles and Related Products was $1.04 billion in the first quarter, and a return to profitability for the Company’s Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) subsidiary.

Worldwide retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles declined 18.2 percent in the quarter compared to the first quarter of 2009, which the company is citing as an improvement in the rate of decline from the prior three quarters.

In the U.S., retail Harley-Davidson motorcycle sales were down 24.3 percent and in international markets, retail sales declined 2.8 percent, compared to last year’s first quarter.

“We are encouraged by our progress in the first quarter,” said Keith Wandell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “We are seeing directional improvement in our dealers’ retail motorcycle sales as we enter the key selling season. At the same time, given the global economic uncertainty that still exists, we believe conditions will remain challenging throughout this year, and we will continue to factor that into how we manage the business.

“Our entire team is moving with great purpose and speed as we implement our go-forward business strategy, with its focus on global growth through market and demographic outreach, commitment to core customers, and developing motorcycles that inspire and fulfill dreams. We also continue to be intensely focused on continuous improvement, looking at all opportunities to drive cost-competitiveness and efficiency throughout our operations,” Wandell said.

Revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles during the first quarter of 2010 of $808.8 million was down 20.0 percent compared to the year-ago period. In line with guidance, the Company shipped 53,674 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to dealers and distributors worldwide during the quarter, compared to shipments of 74,670 motorcycles in the first quarter of 2009.

Revenue from Parts and Accessories totaled $149.1 million during the quarter, down 12.1 percent, and revenue from General Merchandise, which includes MotorClothes apparel, was $66.3 million, down 11.9 percent compared to the year-ago period.

During the first quarter of 2010, worldwide dealer retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 18.2 percent compared to the prior-year quarter. In the U.S., retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles declined 24.3 percent for the quarter and industry-wide heavyweight motorcycle (651cc-plus) retail unit sales declined 21.4 percent.

International retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 2.8 percent during the quarter, compared to the year-ago period, after double-digit declines in each of the prior four quarters. In the first quarter of 2010, the Europe region was up 1.2 percent, Canada was up 1.5 percent, the Asia Pacific region was down 9.8 percent and the Latin America region was down 7.8 percent, compared to the year-ago period.

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