Tesla Hires Former Harley Davidson Exec
Tesla has faced quite a bit of feedback, both positive and negative,
around its electric powered sports car. During their existence, they
have dealt with some internal turmoil, losing Darryl Siry, but with his
departure comes the addition of an experienced leader in the marketing
and sales department. Tesla has hired former Harley Davidson executive Michael van der Sande. Mr. van der Sande began his time with
HD in 1996 and in 2007 he was named the managing director of European
operations, which included overseeing 370 dealerships throughout
Europe, Asia, and Africa.
In moving forward from the loss of Siry, Tesla considered
how they wanted to market their car around the world, and how they wanted their
vehicles to gather an enthusiastic following, and there are few vehicles more
well known of respected around the world than Harley Davidson. Considering van der Sande’s experience in the
European market and the expected push by Tesla to get their roadster moving into
those markets, he seemed like the perfect choice.
Tesla hopes that as they begin moving more units, that they
will begin to acquire a reputation among their faithful buyers similar to those
who own and ride Harleys. The attitude
of “I wont ride anything buy a Harley” is an idea that most manufacturers could
only dream of, but it is a reality to HD owners, and Tesla hopes that having a
piece of Harley Davidson management could help provide a similar attitude for
the future of Tesla. Even though van der
Sande did a great job in growing the Harley presence in
realistically, can Tesla expect that hiring an overseas division manager will
help mimic the appeal of over 100 years of motorcycle excellence?
Can one man help someone reach the HD level of owner
passion?