South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has put his hand up to help Harley-Davidson in its tariffs showdown with US President Donald Trump.
Asked if the SA Government would be interested in getting involved with H-D again (Castalloy will stop manufacturing H-D’s alloy wheels next year), Marshall said he would “definitely” be in contact with the factory to explore production options.
H-D has threatened to move a large part of its export production to Europe, its second-biggest market, to protect its income after becoming a victim of the US-EU trade war.
The iconic US company claims it will lose $3000 on each motorcycle it builds if European authorities go ahead with their proposed hefty import tariff on US-made products.
This is in response to Trump’s planned import tariffs on European steel and aluminium products.
H-D has become a victim of Trump’s Twitter diplomacy, with the President saying the company has “run up the white flag”.
Harley already manufactures its Street models in India, has an assembly plant in Brazil, and is building a new plant in Thailand.
Earlier this year it announced the end of its arrangement with Castalloy, with the loss of 100 SA jobs, and the closure of its manufacturing plant in Kansas.
HAMISH COOPER & BEN PURVIS
