Earlier this year, Harley-Davidson announced that its LiveWire electric motorcycle would be spun off into its own sub-brand called LiveWire, and the bike itself is now called the LiveWire ONE. Harley-Davidson has now announced that LiveWire will go public, and partner with sustainability-focused special purpose acquisition company AEA-Bridges Impact Corporation (ABIC).
There will also be a $100 million investment from Harley-Davidson itself, and another $100 million investment from Taiwanese manufacturer Kwang Yang Motor Co Ltd (KYMCO), which will give the latter a four percent share in the venture. Once the deal is completed, LiveWire will become the first publicly traded electric motorcycle company in the USA, with an estimated post-money valuation of $2.3 billion.
With a number of products in LiveWire’s pipeline, KYMCO’s entry should help the brand crack the Eurasian markets where it has a strong footing. The press release mentions that LiveWire will benefit from the engineering expertise, manufacturing footprint, distribution, supply chain infrastructure and global logistics capabilities of both Harley-Davidson and KYMCO. Additionally, KYMCO is already manufacturing and selling electric scooters in Eurasian markets, and perhaps, these could be tweaked, rebranded and sold under the LiveWire brand.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
