What was Harley-Davidson’s first motorcycle factory outside the United States?
Answer
Manaus factory
Harley-Davidson’s first motorcycle factory outside the United States was its Manaus factory in Brazil.
The Manaus operation was established in 1998 and became Harley-Davidson’s first manufacturing facility outside the United States. It assembled motorcycles for the Brazilian market and helped the company serve customers in Latin America.
Manaus is in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, a major industrial location within Brazil’s tax-incentive zone. The factory is often described as a CKD, or completely knocked down, assembly operation rather than being interchangeable with Harley-Davidson’s historic full-scale plants in the United States.
The facility should not be confused with later Harley-Davidson production operations in India, including the Bawal plant. Manaus came first in the company’s international manufacturing history.