Harley-Davidson delays LiveWire S2 Del Mar production till second half of 2023

Harley-Davidson seems to be taking a go-slow approach with its LiveWire electric motorcycle project. The iconic US motorcycle manufacturer has reportedly delayed the production of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar electric motorcycle to the second half of 2023, while it was originally supposed to be rolled out of the factory in the first half of this year. Milwaukee Business Journal has cited LiveWire president Ryan Morrissey revealing this information at the company's quarterly presentation earlier this month.

Harley-Davidson's EV wing has not only delayed the production of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar but reduced the production volume of the electric motorcycle expectations as well. Originally, the EV wing of the Harley-Davidson was planning to ship around 7,000 Del Mar during the first year of production, but now it has shelved that plan and brought down the expectations between 750 and 2,000 units.

Interestingly, this comes as a major blow to the company as it previously planned to ship 15,000 electric motorcycles by 2024. Also, it expected positive cash flow into its coffers by 2026. However, with the delayed production strategy and substantially reduced production volume, the revenue expectation will be hit, and achieving the number would be tough.

LiveWire claims that it has shipped 597 units of electric motorcycles in 2022, but it consistently separates the number of shipped models from the number of sold units in its reports. It actually doesn't reveal how many LiveWires have been sold. However, the company has revealed that LiveWire has fetched $14 million in revenue through its zero-emission motorcycles and $33 million for its Stacyc electric balance bikes for kids.

LiveWire has also not revealed when will the S2 Del Mar eventually reach the customers. The only information available is that production will commence in the second half of this year, which doesn't state any specific timeframe.