Ford CEO says Harley-Davidson must evolve to remain competitive
Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley says Harley-Davidson’s long-term survival depends on its ability to adapt and move beyond relying solely on its heritage — a message coming from both an industry peer and a member of Harley’s board of directors.
Farley made the comments during a recent interview with Argentina’s La Nación, emphasizing that iconic American brands must continue evolving to stay relevant in today’s global marketplace. The remarks were originally reported by Brett Foote from Ford Authority on Dec. 23, 2025.
“Harley-Davidson, like Ford, is a global icon, but they also have to change,” Farley says in the interview. “They can’t stay the same. They can’t live in the past. They have to live in the future.”
Founded in 1903, both Ford and Harley-Davidson share more than a century of American manufacturing history, and both have navigated multiple periods of market disruption. Farley joined Harley-Davidson’s board of directors in 2021 and continues to serve, providing him with direct insight into the motorcycle manufacturer’s strategic direction.
Farley is also a longtime Harley-Davidson enthusiast, owning and restoring vintage models, including a 1939 EL Knucklehead and a 1942 WLA Navy motorcycle. Ford and Harley-Davidson have collaborated in the past, producing several special-edition Harley-Davidson-branded Ford trucks.
Demographic and market shifts
Harley-Davidson has spent the past several years attempting to reposition the brand as its core customer base ages and younger riders increasingly gravitate toward competing manufacturers. Those efforts have produced mixed results.
In late 2025, Harley-Davidson appointed former Topgolf CEO Artie Starrs as its new chief executive, replacing Jochen Zeitz. Since taking the role, Starrs has moved quickly to reshape the company’s leadership and cost structure, bringing in new executives, making board-level changes, and implementing cost-cutting measures to improve long-term profitability and operational efficiency.
The Motor Company’s challenge remains balancing its deeply rooted brand identity with the need to attract new riders and remain competitive in a rapidly changing global motorcycle market.
Ford’s own strategic reset
Farley’s comments come as Ford itself undergoes a significant strategic shift. After heavily investing in electric vehicles earlier in the decade, the automaker has recently adjusted its product strategy, placing greater emphasis on hybrids and preparing to introduce extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs).
Farley has framed the move as a pragmatic response to consumer demand and market realities — a philosophy he suggests applies equally to Harley-Davidson.
Sources: Ford Authority and La Nación
there going to eventually have to build a real motorcycles instead of the junk they have been building since the evo! 27 year harley mechanic
The Harley or nothing crowd is dying off. They should have learned when the CB750 or the GL1000 or the line of V twin cruisers came out. They even tried to get the younger riders with the Harley renamed Italian bikes. Those were not good bikes. They are now in 3rd place behind Kawasaki and Honda. They will always be around but how big.
If Budwiser ” evolved ” the original King of Beers in the 1970s, where would they be today ?
Well Bud light was the evolved bud and that was the highest selling beer for the longest time they also have all sorts of Michelob light ultra mega ultra duty ultra ET
Harley has learned in a painful fashion . Want to know the cause of their downfall
Look no further than the CEO who decided woke would not take a backseat to solid bikes cherished by a formerly loyal crowd
Go woke go broke
Lots of alternatives
So funny this article, you have Ford, the most recalled auto maker, giving other auto makers advice!? Please, take a look at the log in your eye, before you point out the splinter in another’s.