A Chinese man helps a rider on a Harley Davidson at the opening of the first Harley Davidson dealership in Beijing, China, Saturday, April 8, 2006. Harley-Davidson Inc. opened its first dealership in China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Harley-Davidson Will Sell its Motorcycles in China 

Now you can buy “hogs” in China.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles are known as hogs. The company opened its first China dealership in April. It is in Beijing, China’s largest city.

It is a big move for Harley-Davidson. The Milwaukee company wants to sell bikes in new markets. The China market is a big one. It is the largest country in the world. China’s population is 1.3 billion.

China is also a Communist country. It has limited foreign trade. But since the 1990s, it has started opening its markets.

Harley growth in China will be slow      

Hollis Zhao runs the Beijing dealership. He said Harley-Davidson has succeeded for a century. “We hope China will continue that trend for another 100 years,” he said.

Harley-Davidson said its Chinese growth will be gradual. A big barrier remains. Beijing still bans motorcycles from its streets.

The high cost of Harleys is another concern. Annual incomes in Beijing are low.

Still, David Foley, of Harley-Davidson’s China division, said the country “has great potential.”

City will benefit

The new dealership is important for Milwaukee. Business leaders want to sell more local products in China.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and business leaders went to Ningbo, China in October. It is also now Milwaukee’s “sister city.”

Ningbo leaders are coming to Milwaukee in May.

“I look forward to showing off Milwaukee to our friends,” Barrett said.

Many American products are being sold in China. That should help the U.S. economy.

The U.S. has a large trade deficit with China. That means Americans buy many more Chinese-made products than the Chinese buy American-made products.

Harley-Davidson hopes that changes. Foley said the motor vehicle industry “has taken off” in China. He wants his cycles to be a part of the new trend.

Sources: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Business Journal of Milwaukee, USA Today, The Associated Press