Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield is gearing up to introduce its next generation range of 350 cc models
Royal Enfield seems to have found a new ray of hope as overall sales registered a positive trend. While 1% growth is negligible, the company has a strong reason to have a positive outlook on the future.
Royal Enfield September 2020 sales

The retro classic brand ended September 2020 with overall sales of 60,041 units as against 59,500 units in September 2019. The figure includes both domestic and export volumes. Given that the company has phased out its 500 cc family after the BS6 deadline, its 350 cc family accounts for majority of the sales with a tally of 54,144 units. The Royal Enfield Himalayan, Continental GT 650 and Interceptor GT 650 together managed to clock 5,897 units last month.
For a company which aims to become the global leader of medium displacement motorcycle segment, Royal Enfield’s contribution of export to overall volumes is still very marginal. In September 2020, RE shipped 4,131 units abroad at a YoY decline of 11%. However, the brand’s twin-cylinder flagship models have been having a decent response internationally and once the pandemic-related logistics issues are sorted, the export numbers should steadily go up.
Royal Enfield Sales Sep 2020
Year-To-Date figures
The YTD figures still paint a bleak picture but that is primarily due to the preceding months when the country was in complete or partial lockdown. During the period between April 2020 to September 2020, Royal Enfield’s overall sales declined by 41% to 207,788 units. Export operations during the same period was halved at 11443.
What’s in store for the future?
As we said, Royal Enfield has a strong reason to look forward to a better future. The company is at the verge of introducing the next generation family of 350 cc models based on the new platform. The product onslaught will be spearheaded by Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Once the initial sales spurt from the new gen 350 models are normalized, the company would be beefing up its premium product portfolio with a 650 cruiser based on KX concept. The test mules are already out in public.
Royal Enfield recently inaugurated its first ever overseas assembly facility in Argentina and is likely to open another one in Thailand in the coming months. With the new facilities in place, the brand is aiming to increase its international presence in key motorcycle markets.
In a related news, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has just introduced a direct rival to RE’s 350 cc portfolio in the form of H’ness 350 (to be pronounced as Highness). Will it manage to create a dent in RE’s market share in the mid-weight segment in India is a question that will be answered in a few months. More

Meteor 350 is the latest offering from Chennai-based manufacturer; and will replace Thunder 350 and Thunderbird 350X
Motorcycle enthusiasts who were patiently awaiting launch of the new Meteor 350 would have to hold on a bit longer. Royal Enfield has now postponed the launch of Meteor 350 to next month.

Technically, the launch has not been postponed – as Royal Enfield never really announced a launch date for Meteor 350 officially. It was the reports via leaked images, sources and brochures, which confirmed that launch of Meteor 350 was to take place later this month. But now same sources state that launch has been postponed indefinitely.
The reason for this postponement of launch is yet unknown. But it is likely, the reason is due to the upcoming Honda Cruiser. In the last few days, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India has announced that they will be launching a new cruiser motorcycle on the 30th of Sep. They have also released a teaser, which includes the exhaust note of this new motorcycle.
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It has been years, where Honda has talked about entering the sub 500cc cruiser segment, to take on Royal Enfield. As of now, in the 350-500cc segment, it is Royal Enfield which enjoys monopoly with over 85% market share. Will Honda finally give India a fitting rival to Royal Enfield motorcycles on 30th Sep?
The teasers indicate that the upcoming Honda motorcycle is either the Rebel 300 or Rebel 500 or something which is based on them. In either case, one thing is confirmed that this new motorcycle is going to be a direct rival to a Royal Enfield motorcycle in India. The question now remains is, which RE motorcycle will be targeted by this new Honda cruiser, and what will be its price.
With Honda Cruiser launch date so near, it is possible that RE would want to wait and see what is Honda actually going to launch and in what price segment. And this could be the reason why launch date of Meteor 350 has been postponed (unofficially).
Royal Enfield Meteor 350
Meteor 350 Engine
Meteor 350 is built upon the new J1D platform and will draw its power from a new 349cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor. This unit is capable of producing 20.2 bhp and is 27 Nm of torque. This is 0.4 bhp more and 1 Nm less than the previous generation 350cc engine.
The new generation Classic 350 is expected to be the next motorcycle under this range. The transmission is likely to be a 5-speed gearbox however this new gearbox is said to offer far smoother gear shifts. Similarly, the clutch is also newly developed with less number of linkages and components- resulting in a better clutch life.
Features on offer
As far as features are concerned, the Meteor 350 will be equipped with a semi-digital and semi-analog instrument cluster. It also comes with a USB charging point which enables the riders to charge their phones and action cameras, thus becoming a handy touring option. The TFT screen reads out important details of trip metre, service reminder, odometer, etc. It gets a round-shaped halogen headlamp which is circled by a ring of LED DRL.
Extended features include inbuilt turn-by-turn navigation called ‘Tripper Navigation’ and Bluetooth connectivity. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is likely to be priced from Rs 1.65 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards. More

Royal Enfield posts lower sales both in domestic and export markets
In August 2020, Royal Enfield once again managed to breach the 50,000 unit mark. This is a good sign, considering the several months of slow down due to corona virus and lockdown. Though Aug 2020 sales are in the red, it is largely due to supply constraints. Royal Enfield has stated that they are sitting on a backlog of about 40,000 orders.

In Aug 2020, total sales (domestic + exports) stood at 50,144 units, down 5 percent from 52,904 units sold in August 2019. However, despite YoY de-growth, August sales show a steady growth from 38,065 units in June 2020, to 40,334 units in July 2020 and then on to 50,144 units in August 2020.
In the past month, domestic markets, sales stood at 47,571 units down 2 percent as against 48,752 units in August 2019 while dispatches to global markets were at 2,573 units down 38 percent as against 4,152 units exported in August 2019. Royal Enfield also noted an increase in market share in the two wheeler segment to 3.91 percent in August 2020.
Royal Enfield Aug 2020 Domestic Sales and Exports data
Model wise sales breakup in domestic market
It was only the RE Classic 350 that contributed positively to total domestic sales last month. Sales of the Classic 350 stood at 34,791 units, up 48.47 percent as against 23,433 units sold in August 2019. The Classic 350, the most popular model in the company lineup, and is offered in multiple variants and colour options. Price of this model has just undergone an upward revision by Rs.1,837. This makes the Classic 350 now priced from Rs.1,61,688 to Rs.1,86,319.
The RE Bullet 350 and Electra 350 noted sales of 7,257 units and 4,129 units respectively in the past month, down 38.62 percent and 17.39 percent respectively as against sales in August 2019. RE’s flagship and adventure tourer, the 650 Twins and Himalayan contributed 864 units and 530 units to domestic sales respectively. With the festive season fast approaching, the company is set to launch the new RE Meteor 350 which should boost domestic sales.
RE Exports
Maximum demand was noted for the 650 Twins in global markets. There were a total of 1,409 units of these two models exported last month, down 27.07 percent as against 1,932 units exported in August 2019. De-growth was noted for the Classic 350, Classic 500, Thunderbird 350 and Bullet 500 while there were zero units of the Bullet 350 exported. There were no exports of the Electra 350, Bullet 350 and Thunderbird 500 last month.
No
Royal Enfield Domestic
Aug-20
Aug-19
Diff
%
1
Classic 350
34,791
23,433
11,358
48.47
2
Bullet 350
7,257
11,824
-4,567
-38.62
3
Electra 350
4,129
4,998
-869
-17.39
4
650 Twins
864
2,172
-1,308
-60.22
5
Himalayan
530
1,653
-1,123
-67.94
6
TB 350
0
3,843
-3,843
-100.00
7
Bullet 500
0
57
-57
-100.00
8
Classic 500
0
702
-702
-100.00
9
TB 500
0
70
-70
-100.00
–
Total
47,571
48,752
-1,181
-2.42

No
Royal Enfield Exports
Aug-20
Aug-19
Diff
%
1
650 Twins
1,409
1,932
-523
-27.07
2
Himalayan
884
882
2
0.23
3
Classic 350
178
527
-349
-66.22
4
Classic 500
98
413
-315
-76.27
5
TB 350
2
61
-59
-96.72
6
Bullet 500
2
329
-327
-99.39
7
Electra 350
0
0
0
–
8
Bullet 350
0
8
-8
-100.00
9
TB 500
0
0
0
–
–
Total
2,573
4,152
-1,579
-38.03
Price Increase
Royal Enfield has increased prices of its entire range in India. This is the second time that the company has increased prices of its BS6 model lineup, the first being in May 2020. Prices of the Royal Enfield Classic 350, Bullet 350, Himalayan, and 650 twins have been increased by Rs 1,800-2,800, depending on the variant.
The most affordable Royal Enfield bike, the Bullet 350, now starts at Rs.1.27 lakhs going up to the RE Interceptor 650 which now ranges from Rs 2.66-2.97 lakhs and Continental GT 650 which now costs between Rs 2.82 – Rs 3.03 lakhs. All prices are ex-sh.
Also Read –Honda India Cruiser launch on 30th Sep to rival Royal EnfieldKTM India Aug 2020 Sales and Exports More

After increasing prices of the Classic and Bullet range, RE has increased prices of their Himalayan and 650 range
Auto entities are working on strategies to make the most of business, especially now with the expectation of improved activity owing to the ongoing festive season. This is all the more necessary considering FY21 started on a note of no activity across the industry.

With this came deferred decisions including the need to increase product prices, a necessity in the face of increase in input costs. As business continues to pick up, manufacturers have used recent weeks to introduce vehicle prices for the model year line-up.
Royal Enfield has increased the price of its retro-classic, and also the iconic brand’s adventure tourer. The BS6 compliant Himalayan which was launched in January this year had been initially priced at Rs 1.87 lakh. After upgradation to the latest emission norms, the makers revised price for the first time in May.
Old vs New Prices
Himalayan and 650 Twins – Sep 2020 Prices
Following the current revision in prices, BS6 Himalayan range is now offered at a starting price of Rs 1.91 lakh and goes up to Rs 1.96 lakh depending on the colour one chooses. All prices mentioned are ex-showroom. Colour options include Granite Black, Snow White, Sleet Grey, Gravel Grey, Lake Blue, and Rock Red. With this, Himalayan is pricier by about 1,800 bucks. The periodic price hike doesn’t entail any cosmetic mechanical change and can be attributed to offsetting increasing input costs.
Himalayan is powered by a 411cc air-cooled, single-cylinder unit that cranks out 24.5 bhp and 32 Nm of torque. Transmission is carried out by a 5-speed gearbox. Recently, the adventure motorcycle was inducted into the Argentinian police. Royal Enfield also inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
Apart from Himalayan, Royal Enfield 650 twins too now cost more, starting at a hike of Rs 1,800 depending on model. While a price hike is inevitable, the manufacturer has had to power through with a reduced product lineup since April 1, 2020 owing to mandated BS6 emission. Also Read – RE Classic, Bullet Prices Sep 2020
Upcoming RE’s
Business decisions led to some bikes being discontinued as they were not given a BS6 update. Moving on, the bike manufacturer is geared up to introduce new products. Of its new launches, Meteor 350 is the first new product available, and is ready for launch.
Alongwith focus on regaining lost ground in the domestic market, Royal Enfield is keen on improving its market share in the international arena, especially where mid-size bikes are concerned. In the segment, apart from the current 650 twins, Royal Enfield is already testing a 650cc cruiser. More

The BS6 compliant Classic 350 and Bullet 350 draw their powers from the same 346cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine
Royal Enfield has increased the prices of two of its most popular commuter bikes- Bullet 350 and Classic 350. This is the second price revision for both the bikes since the transition from BS4 emission norms to the updated BS6 standards. While the bullet has received a price hike of Rs 2,756 on all its variants, the Classic 350 has witnessed an increment of Rs 1,837.

This makes both the models about Rs 16,000 dearer to their BS4 counterparts which seems a very steep hike considering these models have not received any sort of upgrades. The BS6 models carry forward the same features and cosmetic elements from the BS4 models as they just tweaked the engine’s emission levels.
The Bullet 350 is now offered at a starting price of Rs 1.27 lakh and goes up to Rs 1.42 lakh for the top-spec trim. The Classic 350, on the other hand, is offered at a price range of Rs 1.61 lakh and Rs 1.84 lakh. All prices mentioned are ex-showroom. This is not a surprise since almost all models in the recent past have undergone multiple price hikes post the BS6 transition.
Royal Enfield Bullet 350 and Classic 350 Prices Sep 2020
Powertrain Details
The Bullet 350 and Classic 350 are powered by the same 346 cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine which generates 19.2 bhp and 28 Nm of peak torque. The power output is slightly lower than the BS4 model whereas the torque has increased by 1 Nm. This unit is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Both bikes have an increase in their kerb weight by 1 kg due to a larger catalytic converter.
Despite the price hike, the Classic 350 remains the most affordable retro commuter in its segment which also comprises Benelli Imperiale 400 and Jawa Forty Two. The Bullet 350, on the other hand, competes with the Jawa Classic and is also way cheaper than its Czech counterpart. The Jawa Classic is offered at a starting price of Rs 1.74 lakh whereas the Bullet 350 is available at a starting price of 1.27 lakh. All prices mentioned are ex-showroom.
Upcoming Launch
Meteor 350 is replacement to Thunderbird 350X
The Chennai-based bike manufacturer is currently gearing up to launch the upcoming Meteor 350 which is set to replace the outgoing Thunderbird 350 and Thunderbird 350X. The new cruiser bike will be powered by an all-new 350cc engine under the new ‘UCE350’ range. The upcoming cruiser will be based on an entirely new architecture which is being called ‘J1D’. Most of the details of the bike has already been revealed. The bike is expected to be launched in a few days. More