According to the latest reports, Royal Enfield has plans to launch up to 20 new motorcycles during the next half-decade
Royal Enfield recently launched the Meteor 350 in the Indian market, and seems like the plans for more new launches are already in top gear. The company is planning to introduce 15 to 20 new models in the next 3 to 5 years. The next-gen Classic and Bullet are expected to arrive next year, and the company might even be planning to launch a new model every quarter for the next few years.
The manufacturer will continue to focus on the 250cc to 750cc segments. The brand currently has six models in its lineup – Bullet 350, Classic 350, Meteor 350, Himalayan, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT650. A few months back, a 650cc cruiser was spied testing, which is also expected to arrive in 2021.
Apart from that, a new roadster was also spotted during road tests multiple times, which will be christened either Hunter or Sherpa. This seems to be an Interceptor-styled model, but with a single-cylinder engine (probably the same 350cc motor as the Meteor). Other than that, new Cafe Racer and Adventure models are also expected to be unveiled soon, and Royal Enfield is pouring resources into electric vehicle R&D as well.
Vinod Dasari, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Enfield, was quoted saying, “We had a tremendous successful run over the past decade. But what got us here, is not necessarily what will take us ahead. We need to significantly expand our product range. We will go an inch wide and a mile deep.”
Royal Enfield has been facing supply chain issues lately, which was the primary reason for the delay in the launch of the Meteor 350. Initially, the motorcycle was expected to arrive during mid-2020. However, the company has also stated that it made a conscious decision to keep the inventory stock low. “We are not pumping the pipeline. It makes no sense to me to do that,” Dasari said. “If it’s a genuine Royal Enfield customer they will wait for some time and that demand will not go away.”
With the competition in the retro-themed market space rising, courtesy Honda, Classic Legends, and Benelli, the Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer must surely be feeling the heat. Also, more contenders are slated to arrive soon, including Bajaj-Triumph, TVS-Norton, and Hero-Harley-Davidson, which could make things even harder for RE in the future.