It’s like an automotive Kim and Kanye. Except iconic American brands Harley-Davidson and Jeep aren’t posting half-naked selfies on holiday. Instead, they intend to partner more in Europe for the fourth year running.
That means Jeep will have a larger presence at three major European events, which are the Euro Festival in Saint-Tropez, France (May 11-14), the European H.O.G Rally in Lugano, Switzerland (June 29-July 2), and European Bike Week in Faaker Se, Austria (September 5-10).
And Jeep will also be turning up at other Harley-Davidson gatherings. including Africa Bike Week in South Africa (April 27-30), Thunder in the Glens in Scotland (August 25-28) and the Benelux HOG Rally in the Netherlands (June 2-4), plus local events in Ukraine, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Estonia and the Czech Republic.
That means if you go along to one of the Harley events, you’ll be able to inspect and test drive the entire Jeep line-up. And there will be a Jeep lounge offering hospitality and merchandise. Plus if you’re a H.O.G member, you can get ‘preferential purchase rates’ on a new Jeep for a limited time.
The press release announcing the partnership mentions the history of both brands, and the shared values of freedom, adventure and a passion for the open road.
But what that really means is that quite often Harley owners in Europe buy into the American image as much as the bikes themselves. So they’re potentially more likely to buy other U.S brands like Jeep. And probably a Stars n Stripes bandana, with a spare in the glove box of their 4×4.
Harley-Davidson is also the older of the two brands, having been founded in 1903 by William S Harley, Arthur Davidson and his brother Walter Davidson. And four years later, William A Davidson also joined.
Ironically, Jeep actually began with the American Austin Car Company, producing vehicles under licence from the original British firm, before becoming American Bantam, which created the first Jeep for the British and Russian armies, and then U.S as World War 2 began. But as more production was needed, Willys Overland started churning them out along with the Ford Pygmy. Willys was then sold to the somewhat ironically named Kaiser Motors in 1953, which was then bought by American Motors Corporation in 1970. And then Chrysler from 1987, in which time the parent company has become Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Compared to that, the period of AMF ownership for Harley-Davidson is less than a blip.
Either way, you can always bribe your family by bringing them back a new SUV from your next Harley-Davidson weekend away. Or maybe use the test drive to visit the local supermarket and stock up on beer for the weekend!
Leave a Reply