 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessor | Royal Enfield (1901–1971) |
| Founded | 1955; 71 years ago (1955) (as Enfield Motors) 1901; 125 years ago (1901) (asThe Enfield Cycle Company Limited) |
| Headquarters | Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India[1] |
Areas served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | Motorcycles |
Production output |  846,000 units (2018) |
| Revenue | ₹8,965 crore (US$1.1 billion) (2018) |
| ₹2,808 crore (US$330 million) (2018) | |
| ₹1,960 crore (US$230 million) (2018) | |
| Parent | Eicher Motors |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | www |
Royal Enfield is an Indianmotorcycle manufacturer, headquartered and manufactured inChennai.[1]Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production.[2]
The first Royal Enfield motorcycle was built in 1901 byThe Enfield Cycle Company ofRedditch,Worcestershire, England, the company was responsible for the design and original production of the 1932 Royal Enfield Bullet, the longest-lived motorcycle design in history.[3] Licensed in 1955, from the originalRoyal Enfield (England), byMadras Motors, since 1993 a subsidiary ofEicher Motors, an Indian automaker.[4] The company makes classic-looking motorcycles, including theRoyal Enfield Bullet,Classic 350,Royal Enfield Thunderbird,Meteor 350, Classic 500,Interceptor 650, Continental, and Hunter 350. Royal Enfield also makes adventure and off-road motorcycles like theRoyal Enfield Himalayan. Their motorcycles are equipped withsingle-cylinder andtwin-cylinder engines.[5]
In the early 1950s the Government of India started looking for a suitable motorcycle for Police and Indian army to patrol on. In 1952 they chose theRoyal Enfield Bullet, in 1954 ordering 800 units of the 350 cc model. In 1955,Royal Enfield (England) partnered withMadras Motors to form 'Enfield India' to assemble, underlicence, the 350 cc Royal EnfieldBullet motorcycle inMadras (now Chennai), including the factory tooling, sold to Madras Motors, later trading as Enfield India, then Royal Enfield.[6] By 1962, all components were made in India. Enfield India used the 1960 engine (with metric bearing sizes); Royal Enfield still makes essentially the same bike in 350 cc and 500 cc models, and now different models for other market segments.[7]
In the year 1990, Royal Enfield collaborated with the Eicher Group, an automotive company in India, and merged with it in 1994.[8] Apart from bikes, Eicher Group is involved in the production and sales of commercial vehicles and automotive gears. Although Royal Enfield experienced difficulties in the 1990s, and ceased motorcycle production at theirJaipur factory in 2002,[9] by 2013 the company opened a new primary factory in the Chennai suburb ofOragadam on the strength of increased demand for its motorcycles. This was followed in 2017 by the inauguration of another new factory of a similar size to the facility at Oragadam (capacity 600,000 vehicles per year) at Vallam Vadagal. The original factory atTiruvottiyur became secondary, and continues to produce some limited-run motorcycle models.[10][11][12][13]
In November 2015, aflooding, produced by the heaviest rainfall in Chennai in over a century, caused Royal Enfield to cut production by 4,000 motorcycles, followed by a shutdown of the plants inThiruvottiyur andOragadam on 1 December, as well as the company offices in Chennai.[14] Production resumed at 50% capacity on 7 December and operations at both plants were back to normal on 14 December.[15]
Royal Enfield announced its firsttakeover of another company in May 2015 with the purchase of a UK motorcycle design and manufacturing firm,Harris Performance Products,[16][17] that had previously developed the chassis of theRoyal Enfield Continental GT Cafe Racer.[18] Harris work with the UK-based part of Royal Enfield's development team, who are based at the UK Technology Centre at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire. The team was established in January 2015, and moved into their new, purpose-built facility in May 2017. By the end of 2019, the team numbered 155 and carries out the full spectrum of design and development activities, from concept generation and clay design to engineering design, prototyping and validation.
Royal Enfield currently sells motorcycles in more than 50 countries. Royal Enfield surpassed Harley-Davidson in global sales in 2015.[19][20]
In August 2015, Royal Enfield Motors announced it is establishing its North American headquarters and a dealership in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the intention to offer three bikes, theBullet 500,Classic 500 and Continental GT 535 Cafe Racer as they feel this engine size represents an under-served market. The dealership will be Royal Enfield's first company-owned store in the U.S., according to Rod Copes, president of Royal Enfield North America.[21][22] The company wants to establish about 100 dealerships in American cities starting with Milwaukee.
Later in August 2015, parent-business Eicher announced its entry in Indonesia as a part of its global strategy in the mid-sized (250–750 cc) motorcycle segment, initially starting retail operations from a dealership in Jakarta.[23][24] From April to September, 2015, Royal Enfield's domestic sales were 50% higher than the previous year, despite a declining motorcycle market in India.[25]
TheRoyal Enfield Bullet has the longest unchanged production run of any motorcycle, having remained continuously in production since 1948.[26][27] The Bullet marque is even older and has passed 75 years of continuous production. The Royal Enfield and Bullet names were derived from the British company which had been a subcontractor to theRoyal Small Arms Factory inEnfield, London.[27]
It has been long associated with thePolice andArmed forces in India and owning one is considered a privilege by most Indians and continues to remain ever popular in India. Although the Bullet 500 was discontinued due to poor sales, The Next Generation Bullet 350 was launched on September 1, 2023. It has a retro style and is priced at ₹1.74 lakh (US$2,090) in India. In January 2024 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 was launched in two new colors- Military Silver Black and Military Silver Red.[28]
Royal Enfield Classic 350 andClassic 500 are models of Royal Enfield motorcycles which have been in production since 2009. The Classic series of Royal Enfield motorcycles are inspired by the Royal Enfield G2 350cc Bullet motorcycle, first produced in 1948.[29] It has also been confused often with theBullet for their similar look in design as the Classic is a modernised version of the original Royal Enfield Bullet.
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350[30][31][32] is a roadster motorcycle launched by Royal Enfield in August 2022[33][34] in India. It is powered by 349cc BS6 engine that produces 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of torque. The Hunter 350[35] is the most affordable motorcycle under the new J-platform, and the second least expensive bike afterRoyal Enfield Bullet 350. The motorcycle features a retro-style single-piece seat, a classic round headlamp, a flat handlebar and a sculpted fuel tank. Within a month of launch Hunter 350 becomes the second highest selling Royal Enfield motorcycle.[36]
Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is a 648cc, parallel-twin motor that pumps out 46.40 bhp at 7,250rpm and a peak torque of 52.3Nm at 5,650rpm. The oil-cooled engine is paired to a six-speed gearbox, with a slipper clutch. The factory-custom bobber based on the same platform as the new Continental GT 650. A limited edition Shotgun was launched at the Motoverse 2023 with an attractive blue-and-black color scheme.[37] Later on the production version was revealed which had the same specifications as the Motoverse edition except the color scheme.[38]
The Royal Enfield Scram is a minimalistic street scrambler which is a close cousin to the Himalayan 411, even saying "Himalayan Scram" on the side panels and has the same fuel tank as the 2015-2023 Himalayan. It is powered by a 411cc BS6-2.0 emissions standard air cooled engine which produces 24.3 bhp and 32 nm torque.[39] It was launched in March 2022 as Enfield's first ADV crossover.
Royal Enfield unveiled a new Scram model called the "Scram 440", as a replacement for the Scram 411 based on the same engine platform in November 2024. The new update model features an updated engine which goes up in cubic capacity from 411cc to 443cc; Power and torque have climbed from 24.3 hp at 6,500rpm and 32Nm at 4,250rpm to 25.4 hp at 6,250rpm and 34Nm at 4,000rpm.[40]
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is an adventure touring motorcycle manufactured by Royal Enfield. It was revealed in February 2015 and launched in early 2016.Pierre Terblanche led the design team during Himalayan's development.[41] It is specially designed for use on adventure trails.
An entirely new Himalayan was launched on 24 November 2023, with a liquid cooled Sherpa 450 engine, switchable ABS as standard, and improved design and build quality. It is the first motorcycle in Royal Enfield's history to be powered by a liquid cooled engine. It was named the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, and the old model was discontinued in November 2023.[42]
Royal Enfield unveiled a 650 cc twin-cylinder engine at their Technology Centre, Harris Performance Products, inLeicestershire, England, in November 2017 to power a new generation of Royal Enfield motorcycles. It was showcased at theMilan Motorcycle Show on 7 November 2017 in Italy,[43] where two motorcycles based on the engine, theInterceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 were revealed.[44] Both models were introduced to the US market in November 2018 to positive reviews.[45][46] The Interceptor is marketed as the INT650 in the United States where Honda has a trademark on the "Interceptor" name.[47] In 2020 to 2021, the 650cc twins were the best-selling motorcycles in Great Britain.[48]
The Royal Enfield Continental GT is a Neo-retro Café Racer. The first model to use the name, the Continental GT 250, was produced by Royal Enfield in 1960s Britain. The name was revived in the 2010s with the Continental GT 535 (now discontinued) and Continental GT 650.
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Royal Enfield launched a new lineup of cruiser motorcycles on 6 November 2020 named the Meteor. It replaced theThunderbird 350 and 350X series which were discontinued earlier that year. It uses a 349 cc single cylinder engine featuring a single overhead camshaft system (SOHC), and a completely new engine with fewer moving parts than the 346 cc. A 648 cc, air cooled version of the bike has been revealed named the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 which was released on January 16, 2023.[49] It is the first Royal Enfield to offer theTripper navigation system.[50]
TheRoyal Enfield Guerrilla is a new roadster unveiled on 17 July 2024 by Royal Enfield.[51][52] It is based on the 2023Himalayan featuring the same chassis, 6-speed gearbox, and the 452cc liquid-cooled Sherpa Engine, with 39.47 bhp and 40 Nm of torque. The Guerrilla features a new rear sub-frame, 17 inch alloy wheels, and a 140mm telescopic fork front suspension, while reducing the stroke value of the rear suspension to 150mm.[53] The bike features a minimalistic design with a smaller 11 litre fuel tank while retaining the round LED headlamp and flat-style handlebar, common amongst its three variants.[54]
The Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 was officially released on October 31, 2024.[55] It has been described as "a stylish scrambler-styled standard based primarily on the brand's Interceptor 650 model, though with some notable differences."[56]
On the Design and Styling front, Bear 650 comes with a scrambler seat, side panel number boards, and urban-off-road aesthetics.
This motorcycle uses Showa USD Forks borrowed from the Shotgun 650, but optimized for scrambler duties with longer suspension travel. To complement its off-road credentials, the ride height has been raised. The Interceptor Bear 650 retains the Interceptor 650's brakes but upgrades the front disc size for added stopping power along with Dual-channel ABS with a switchable rear ABS.
Equipped with a full-color TFT screen with integrated navigation brings modern tech to the classic platform. It is powered by Royal Enfield's 650-cc engine, and it is tuned to increase torque by a marginal amount, and saves weight because of its two-into-one exhaust system.
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A version of this article appears in print on 4 January 2014, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: A Cult Motorcycle From India Takes on the World.
Manufacturing at the Jaipur plant, which has a capacity to produce 13,000 mobikes, is under suspension and according to the plan it is expected to resume operations as soon as the Chennai plant achieves full capacity utilisation.
...Royal Enfield will acquire all assets, employees, trade names, technical know-how and intellectual property of Harris Performance Products Ltd, the company said in a statement without disclosing the deal value.
Although HD motorcycles sell at a huge premium over their RE kin (HD's most affordable model in India sells for around Rs 5 lakh while RE's most expensive model comes for Rs 2 lakh), what's remarkable is the stunning turnaround by one of the world's oldest motorcycle brands.
Copes has previously worked with Harley-Davidson for nearly 20 years, most recently as Head of Global Sales and Customer Service.
The company's performance is in sharp contrast to the overall segment, which has been reeling under a slowdown with rural sales affected by below normal monsoon in several parts of the country.
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