New Delhi: Niche bike maker Royal Enfield today launched Himalayan, an all terrain 411-cc bike, priced at Rs 1.55 lakh (ex-showroom Maharashtra). The company, which is the two-wheeler arm of Eicher Motors, currently sells various popular models like Bullet, Classic, Thunderbird and Continental GT.
"We are creating a new segment of adventure tourer in India. We hope to get a lot of adventure bikers through this. We will have to wait and see if it is adopted very quickly or gradually picks up," Eicher Motors MD and CEO Siddhartha Lal told PTI. While the focus is on the domestic market, Himalayan has generated interest in all the markets where the company is present, including the US and Europe, he added.
With its purpose-built ground-up design, the Himalayan is a simple and capable "go-anywhere" motorcycle that will redefine adventure touring in India, Lal said. Elaborating further on export plans for the bike, he said, "We will send some bikes to some of the markets, like Latin America and South East Asia, to see the response so that in due course of time we can sell there too if there is demand."
Himalayan comes with a five-speed gearbox and 24.5 BHP engine. The company would also sell accessories to go with the bike which has a ground clearance of 210 mm. It is the first model to be built on the two new engine platforms the company is developing. Multiple products could be launched on the two new engine platforms.
The new products would be in the range of 250 cc to 750 cc. The launch would help the company further consolidate its position to become a leading player in the mid-sized (250 cc - 750 cc) segment globally. Having established its business firmly in the domestic market, the company is now eyeing major markets across the world to sustain its growth momentum.
In the past few months, Royal Enfield has steadily expanded its global footprint in key nodal cities like Bangkok, London, Madrid, Paris, Dubai, Bogota and Medellin. The company plans to produce up to 9 lakh motorcycles by end of 2018 from its two existing manufacturing facilities and a third upcoming facility in Tamil Nadu.
Aiming to become the leader in the global mid-sized motorcycle industry, Royal Enfield is also building two new technology centres -- one in India and another in the UK, to enhance capability and execute long-term product strategy.
