Royal Enfield is a name that never fails to stir a few strings in any heart. Many are the stories built around its famous ruggedness and reliability. Royal Enfield is the motorcycle around which memories have been built – memories and experiences that endow the brand and the bike with a certain halo.
Royal Enfield is fast acquiring a global image and presence again and re-staking a claim to its status as a world class motorcycle. It is expected that by 2012 Royal Enfield would be present in the martkets of about 40 countries and that the exports of Royal Enfield would make up 6% of its total annual sales.
Enfield Manufacturing Company, established in 1893 at Redditch, Worcestershire, UK, manufactured bicycles initially. By 1899 they started producing motorcycles under the name ‘Enfield’. In 1890, the British Crown licensed the company to prefix the word ‘Royal’ to the brand. In 1968, the company was sold to Norton-Triumph-Villiers which, again, was liquidated in 1971 – the production having ceased a year earlier.
The company was called upon to manufactrure motorcylces for the use of the British army during World War II. Its Indian incarnation was to perform a similar role later in India.
Royal Enfield started selling its motorcycles in India from 1949. In 1955, the Governemnt of India picked Royal Enfield Bullet 500 cc as the motorcycle that could meet the needs of its armed forces operating in the rough, unfriendly terrains of its borders, and the requirements of its police force. One might well say that a legend was born.
‘Enfield India’ was established at Madras in 1955 to manufacture the Bullet from imported componets under license from the British company. In 1957, they started manufacturing some of the components locally and by 1962 all the components were being made in India itself. In 1995, Enfield India acquired rights to use the name “Royal Enfield”.
Enfield India was acquired by the Eicher group in 1994.
Long after the closure of the British company, the Indian company with its plant at Tiruvottiyur, Chennai, is still going strong and Royal Enfield is a revered – yes, revered, and, if you insist, deified – motorcycle brand in India – thanks to the legendafry Bullet which is available in 350 cc and 500 cc variants. Royal Enfield Bullet has the distinction of being the oldest motorcycle to be in production till date.
Royal Enfield is presently exporting bikes to about 29 countries. It has more than 180 dealers in India.
The company has made fabulous growth in the last five years. Royal Enfield has established a redoubtable presence worldwide. In 2010 Royal Enfield was among top 10 selling 125-500 cc motorcycle brands in UK – in the august company of intenationally famous brands like Kawasaki. In January 2011, Popular Mechanics ranked the Royal Enfield Classic Chrome and Bullet 500 among its Top 10 picks from the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York.
Dr.Venki Padmanabhan, CEO, Royal Enfield remarked, “Interest in our brand in developed markets such as the U.S., U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Australia stems from the desire for some to own a piece of history; a true British Single. When they discover that vintage styling can be had at an attractive less-than-antique price, the interest heightens.
Then, when they ride a Royal Enfield and are thrilled by the way in which their senses are engaged, they reach to find the rational reason to buy. There are many rational reasons now: close-by dealer and service, more reliable bikes with regular side shifting and quietly, more than 70 miles per gallon fuel efficiency!”
“We are now figuring out the right brand and value positioning needed to appeal to the vastly untapped “developing country” markets that, owing to our success in India, we are well prepared to handle,” Dr.Padmanabhan added.
