Royal Enfield 500cc sales (Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird) have dropped down to just one unit in January 2020. The ‘500’ models will not be updated to BS6 emission standards.
Royal Enfield has not been doing that well with its 500cc single-cylinder range for quite a few months. One of the main reasons that have led to this is the growing popularity and desirability of the 650 Twins, that are available at just a reasonable premium from the list price of the ‘500’ models. Owing to this, the Chennai-based manufacturer has already shared its plans to discontinue the BS4-compliant ‘500’ line-up ahead of BS6 emission norms that kick in on 1 April 2020.
Over the span of 2019, domestic sales of the ‘500’ models (Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird) have been plummeting at a rapid pace while exports were doing moderately fine. Finally, in the month of January 2020, Royal Enfield could sell only one unit of the ‘500’ models — a Thunderbird 500.
In comparison, the month of January 2019 saw Royal Enfield collectively selling 1,127 units of the ‘500’ models. Individual sales figures stood at 146, 127 and 854 units for the Thunderbird, Bullet and Classic, respectively. Below is the detailed sales performance of the 500cc range of Royal Enfield motorcycles.
| RE Domestic Sales | Jan 2020 | Jan 2019 | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Thunderbird 500 | 1 | 146 | -145 | -99.32 |
| RE Bullet 500 | 0 | 127 | -127 | -100.00 |
| RE Classic 500 | 0 | 854 | -854 | -100.00 |
| Total | 1 | 1,127 | -1,126 | -99.91 |
| RE Exports | Jan 2020 | Jan 2019 | Diff | % |
| RE Classic 500 | 208 | 233 | -25 | -10.73 |
| RE Bullet 500 | 88 | 23 | 65 | 282.61 |
| RE Thunderbird 500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Total | 296 | 256 | 40 | 15.63 |
As mentioned before, exports were relatively better at a total of 296 units in January 2020 compared to 256 units in the same month, last year; a growth of 15.63%. The Classic 500 was the best-seller abroad at 208 units despite being short by 25 units in comparison to January 2019. 88 units of the Bullet 500 were shipped in January 2020 (up by 65 units). On the other hand, the Thunderbird 500 is not an export model.
The Royal Enfield 500 models are powered by a BS4-compliant 499cc air-cooled single-cylinder UCE motor that makes 27.2bhp and 41.3Nm of torque. The power plant is fuel-injected. The newer, yet lesser, BS6-compliant 346cc air-cooled single-cylinder UCE unit also comes with an FI system. Output figures stay at around 20bhp and 28Nm of torque. Both engines come mated to a 5-speed transmission.
It is not news that Royal Enfield is busy working on the next-generation ‘350’ line-up. The company initially planned to debut the models ahead of the BS6 deadline, but the products are still a long way from being market-ready. Hence, Royal Enfield was left with no other option than to update the current-generation ‘350’ models to BS6 specifications.
As a much-deserved farewell to the ‘500’ range, the limited-production Royal Enfield Classic 500 Tribute Black is now open for bookings. The advance booking amount stands at Rs 50,000. Bookings can be done only through a dedicated page on the official Royal Enfield website.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
