Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 posted more than 20,000 unit sales in FY2020; highest for any premium range of motorcycles in India
Royal Enfield launched the much-awaited Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 in the domestic market back in November 2018. The Chennai-based manufacturer did release both of its flagship models at a highly aggressive price range and as expected they have been well received among customers.
The premium motorcycle buyers wanting to own the entry-level Harley-Davidson models did consider the 650 Twins and most of them loved the duo for their no-frills package and a highly appreciable powertrain. From the word go, the parallel-twin engined motorcycles had gained good momentum in sales and to many people’s surprise, their sales numbers are still going strong every month.
While recording more than 1,000 units for the first time in a month in January 2019, the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 beat their competition by a huge margin and the domination has continued until now. They are powered by a 648 cc parallel twin-cylinder engine with air and oil cooling developed by UK-based Harris Performance.
With 270-degree firing order and fuel-injection technology, it is good enough to produce a maximum power output of 47 horsepower and 52 Nm of peak torque. The powertrain is connected to a six-speed transmission with slip-assist clutch as standard. Royal Enfield also provides a dual-channel ABS system as standard with the 650 Twins and they are built on are built on steel tubular frame.
Carrying their sales momentum through the financial year 2020, Royal Enfield managed to garner a total of 20,188 units as against 5,168 units during the same period the previous fiscal (Launched in Nov 2018) with a massive year-on-year positive sales growth of 291 per cent. Despite having similar underpinnings, the Interceptor 650 is a modern roadster while the Continental GT is a cafe racer.
The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 have starting prices of Rs. 2.64 lakh and Rs. 2.80 lakh respectively (ex-showroom, Mumbai) in their BSVI avatars as their prices had gone up by around Rs. 9,000 compared to the BSIV version. Despite the updates related to BSVI compliance, no other changes were implemented by the brand.