Royal Enfield will open the gates for much-awaited international models including the new Bullet Classic C5 by 2010.
“There is a latent demand for our international models in India. Hence, we would look to leverage play by introducing these models by 2010,” divisional general manger, sales and marketing Royal Enfield Shaji Koshy said.
The company is currently working on the necessary regulatory clearances to introduce these bikes. Most of its international bikes sport a 500 cc engine, while in India a large chunk of its sales comes from the 350 cc category.
Some of the popular models sold in the US include Bullet G5 Classic (EFI), Bullet G5 Military and Bullet 500 Deluxe.
“These models are homologised in Europe and the US to meet their specific rules and regulations connected to emissions and safety. We are working on making the necessary changes required to meet Indian conditions,” Koshy said.
The company is also adding around 5 new exports destinations to its existing 28, in an effort to boost its exports share to 10% of overall sales from the current 6%. Exports currently constitute around 6% of its overall sales which it targets to increase to 10%.
“We will soon begin exporting to Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Israel and Canada as well. Since 2008 we have put a renewed thrust on expanding our exports,” added Koshy.
The company will also launch two more domestic models in India by next March. These bikes will be based on the unit construction engine-electric fuel injection platform (UCE EFI) which exists on the Thunderbird model.
Royal Enfield expects to maintain last year’s 18% sales growth this year as well. Last year, it sold 44,000 units of its Thunderbird Twinspark, Bullet Machismo, Bullet Electra and Bullet 350 in India.
While Thunderbird is its most popular brand in the metros, Electra is the best performer in the non-metros. By January 2010 the company will have a 60,000-unit annual manufacturing capacity at its Chennai plant.
Source: DNA
