Royal Enfield’s domestic sales plunged by 10 per cent on YoY basis in November 2019 as 58,292 units were sold against 65,026 units
Royal Enfield has been enduring tough times in the domestic market just as other two-wheeler manufacturers due to the huge sales slump being faced by the Indian automotive industry. The Chennai-based brand’s top-selling Classic 350 did fare well with only 8 per cent Year-on-Year volume decline.
It garnered a total of 35,951 units in November 2019 as against 39,025 units during the same month last year. The Bullet 350 Twin Spark, on the other hand, performed positively as 5 per cent sales growth was registered. Royal Enfield sold 12,902 units of the motorcycle last month as against 12,326 units.
Behind the Bullet 350 Twin Spark in the third position was the Bullet Electra Twin Spark. It registered domestic sales of 3,641 units in November 2019 as against 2,317 units during the corresponding month in 2018 with YoY sales surge of 57 per cent. The Thunderbird 350 posted a total of 3,588 units with a massive 56 per cent volume drop.
| Royal Enfield Model (+/-%) | November 2019 | November 2018 |
| 1. Classic 350 (-8%) | 35,951 | 39,025 |
| 2. Bullet 350 Twin Spark (5%) | 12,902 | 12,326 |
| 3. Bullet Electra Twin Spark (57%) | 3,641 | 2,317 |
| 4. Thunderbird 350 (-56%) | 3,588 | 8,109 |
| 5. 650 Twin (216%) | 1,027 | 325 |
| 6. Himalayan (4%) | 793 | 763 |
| 7. Classic 500 (-83%) | 280 | 1,696 |
| 8. Thunderbird 500 (-76%) | 86 | 357 |
| 9. Bullet 500 (-78%) | 24 | 108 |
While most of the motorcycles within Royal Enfield’s domestic range have seen sales declines, the combined numbers of Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 have been nothing short of impressive. Last month, the flagship 650 Twins recorded 1,027 units as against 325 units in November 2018 with 216 per cent volume increase.
The popularity of the Himalayan has been on the up in recent times as the adventure motorcycling segment is really getting attention. Royal Enfield’s response for the space is one of the highly accessible models and it posted 4 per cent sales growth last month as 793 units were retailed against 763 units.
The 500 cc Classic, Bullet and Thunderbird may not see the light past the end of March 2019 due to the stricter BSVI emission standards and their sales have been on the downside for several months. The Classic 500 registered only 280 units last month as against 1,696 units in November 2018 with 83 per cent decline.
The Bullet 500’s volumes were fallen to just 24 units in November with 78 per cent YoY sales drop. The next generation Classic, Bullet and Thunderbird series are in the works and they will likely debut towards the end of next year. The BSVI compliant models are expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.