Harley-Davidson's LiveWire Electric Bikes Are Getting Their Own Sub-Brand

Harley-Davidson's all-electric LiveWire is an exceptional bike, so exceptional that even its $30,000 price tag and limited charging infrastructure have not kept it from succeeding in the eyes of the company. With that in mind, Harley-Davidson is proceeding to what is quickly becoming the next logical step for a legacy manufacturer interested in electrification: turning LiveWire into the anchor of a sub-brand of the same name.

While this is a relatively novel strategy in the world of motorcycles, sub-branding has become an overwhelmingly popular way for auto manufacturers to market their electrified products. Mercedes and BMW each have their electric lines anchored by a flagship (Mercedes EQ and BMW i, which are respectively anchored by the EQS sedan and i8 coupe), Audi has leaned into E-Tron branding for all electric cars, and Toyota's Prius line has grown to include a wide range of hybrids. But the LiveWire plan, which involves distinct dealerships and a wholly new product line born from just one car, is probably most reflective of Polestar, the Volvo spinoff anchored by the Polestar 1 and 2.

The initial LiveWire bike would be the brand's Polestar 1, a product initially designed to simply act as a unique, high-end option for an established marque that instead becomes the anchor of something else. That would leave room for the next product something more like the Polestar 2, which for Polestar serves as a volume offering that more directly represents the future direction of the majority of the products that will actually be sold.