Royal Enfield set to expand presence in 250cc+ market with new models

Delhi : Royal Enfield is preparing to strengthen its position in the middle-weight or 250cc+ market. According to an industry source who asked to remain anonymous, the company will shortly release its new 350cc bullet platform, and the 450cc Himalayan model may be released in three months. The 411cc Himalayan and Scrambler versions will continue to be sold even after the introduction of the new 450cc Himalayan.

90 percent of the 250-350cc market is controlled by the manufacturer of middleweight motorcycles. In the 250-350cc plus market between April and June 2023, Royal Enfield sold 2.11 lakh of the 2.38 lakh units sold. Out of the 34,000 motorcycles sold in the 350cc larger category, 12,531 Himalayan 411cc bikes were sold. In the 500-800cc sector, 11,605 of the 11,791 units were Royal Enfields.

According to sources, the Hunter motorbike could sell 2 lakh units next month, according to CNBC-TV18. One year ago, the business started selling the Hunter 350cc. The Hunter is probably going to keep driving volume for Royal Enfield in the future, and the business will be depending on the introduction of 2-3 new products to boost sales even more.

Some analysts prefer to wait and see, despite the fact that Royal Enfield will undoubtedly face competition from Bajaj, Triump, Hero, and Harley Davidson.

"Meaningful scale up in mid weight bikes will take a lot more: distribution (very limited for new brands), customer experience, after service support (highways), and brand building (beyond top metros)," according to a report by Bank of America Securities. The premium two-wheeler industry is anticipated to expand and take on new products with little effect on Royal Enfield, according to ICICI Securities.

Triumph and Bajaj also hope to boost touchpoints from 15 to 100 in this fiscal, while Hero MotoCorp is attempting to grow 440X sales by selling the motorcycle in 300+ shops in India.