Royal Enfield appears to be working on three new platforms in response to upcoming emission norms and to eventually dive into electrification
Royal Enfield has reportedly been developing three new platforms for the future. All of them will likely have significant impact on the brand’s upcoming vehicles. Chief among which is an electric architecture to see off the future demands for zero-emission motorcycles. The other two will pertain to the needs of the stringent emission standards coming into effect by the end of this decade.
The oldest continuous production motorcycle manufacturer in the world is owned by Eicher Motors and has taken criticisms for reliability and build quality issues in recent times despite setting sales records every year. The launch timeframe of the new products from the three platforms are not revealed yet but since BS-VI emission regulations will be enforced from 2020 onwards, we can expect the existing products to be built around them in a couple of years.
Also Read: Would You Buy An Electric Royal Enfield Classic 500?
The upcoming 650 cc twins, the Continental GT and Interceptor, are vowed to be introduced in India with global specifications and most importantly with top-notch build quality and they could sow the seed for more motorcycles in the future. According to media reports, the electric platform has large number of people working on it and the plans are expected to be announced at a suitable time.
The recently launched Thunderbird 350X and 500X adorned fresh visual updates to entice the youth and they featured tubeless tyres and alloy wheels. Royal Enfield’s next launches in India will likely be the 650 cc models in the second half of this year. They will be introduced in international markets like United Kingdom and Australia beforehand.
An electric variant of the Royal Enfield Classic 500 was showcased in Thailand in December 2017. Although being a preliminary project, it sported traditional Classic Black colour scheme and boasted mechanical changes to accommodate the electric drivetrain.
The frame was modified to stuff the large battery pack and for additional protection it had metal casing. The stock chain drive was replaced by a belt drive and the sub-frame packed a luggage rack with a seat for the pillion.
Royal Enfield aims to become the world leader in mid-size motorcycle category and since Harley Davidson confirmed arrival of its electric motorcycle next year, we could see the 650 cc twins being used to develop a zero-emission RE? Would you like to see Royal Enfield producing electric motorcycles sooner rather than later? Have your say below!