Indian Motorcycle’s Steve Menneto: Will we buy Ducati? Well…

Steve Menneto, 52, is president of motorcycles at Polaris Industries Inc., manufacturer of Indian motorcycles. He’s the man who together with Polaris president/CEO Scott Wine ultimately sold his colleagues in Polaris management the idea of acquiring Indian – America’s oldest existing motorcycle company – in April 2011 as a heritage brand to run alongside its much younger Victory marque.

After shuttering its existing Victory two-wheeled brand in January last year in order to focus entirely on Indian, Polaris management has driven the Indian brand forward with spectacular success. Alan Cathcart spoke to Steve Menneto to find out how they have done this.

MSL: What are the reasons for Indian’s global showroom success?

We’ve always focused on staying true to the Indian brand in a way that defines us compared to our competitors, plus we continue to make quality product with a strong identity, and we’re also trying to be