Harley opens Latin America headquarters in Miami

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson Inc. is opening an office in Florida to house the new headquarters for its Latin America operations.

The Milwaukee-based company said Thursday the Miami-based headquarters will serve customers “from Tierra del Fuego to the Rio Grande.”

Harley vice president Mark Van Genderen says the focus on Latin America makes sense because many countries in the region already have well-established motorcycle cultures.

A Harley statement says the company’s growth plans include opening new markets and expanding in existing ones. The statement says it expects more than 40 percent of its sales by 2014 to come from outside the U.S.

Shares of Harley were down 30 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $36.39 in morning trading Thursday.