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Jan 17
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Is Royal Enfield Releasing Major Updates To Its 650 Range For 2024?

By General Posts


by Enrico Punsalang from https://www.rideapart.com

Most interesting of all would have to be a sportier Continental GT 650.

Ever since their debut back in 2018, the Continental 650 and Interceptor 650 pretty much propelled Royal Enfield to the global spotlight. Prior to the launch of these bikes, the brand had a decent footprint in Europe and Asia, with its retro-style machines being a favorite among classic aficionados. While the 650 Twins are well and truly classic in nature, they brought fairly modern performance technology to the equation.

Naturally, a motorcycle with modern-day amenities such as ABS, electronic fuel-injection, and most of all, reliability, is something that anyone can appreciate. Throw in classic styling and an ultra affordable price tag, and what you have is a recipe for success. Indeed, in the past five years of the bikes’ existence, Royal Enfield has somehow managed to continue raking in sales by just updating colors and releasing special editions every now and then.

As such, it isn’t at all surprising that the rumor mills have once again been churning. Word around the block is that RE is gearing up to drop major updates on the 650 model range, particularly to the sporty Continental GT. These updates may indeed be foreshadowed by the components we see in the Super Meteor 650. At this point, it’s important to note that Royal Enfield has yet to release any information on the upcoming 650 range, so the best we can do is speculate. Nevertheless, multiple sources suggest that the bike will break cover in time for the 2024 model year.

So, what exactly can we expect? Well, our friends at VisorDown have an interesting prediction, and it’s that the upcoming Continental GT 650 will be equipped with alloy wheels, and possibly even the inverted front forks found on the Super Meteor. Should the new generation Cafe Racer be equipped with these components, chances are it’ll directly translate lower unsprung weight, which means better handling. Alloy wheels also mean tubeless tires, which also mean more options when it comes to replacing tires for performance purposes.

The Continental GT has long been involved in the world of motorsports, with Royal Enfield launching a one-make racing series focusing on the sporty classic. Indeed, if these updates come into fruition, they could make the new Continental GT 650 Royal Enfield’s most performance-focused model to date.

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Jun 07
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Royal Enfield will have the highest number of new models

By General Posts

by Swaraj Baggonkar from https://www.moneycontrol.com

Royal Enfield will have the highest number of launches this year: CEO Vinod Dasari

This year, Royal Enfield is ready to introduce more models annually than ever before as the niche bike maker looks to further strengthen its iron grip on the middleweight motorcycle segment

The Eicher Motors-controlled company that specialises in building bikes with engine sizes of 350cc to 650cc, currently, has its order backlog full. This can keep its factories running for the next 2-3 months without any new bookings.

Speaking to analysts, Vinod Dasari, CEO, Royal Enfield, said: “We have a very exciting (product) pipeline. This year will probably see the highest number of new models that is ever seen from Royal Enfield in a year. And that is just the beginning of the pipeline.”

Over the last few months, Royal Enfield launched the Meteor 350 and the new Himalayan, besides offering new colours on the 650 twins – Continental GT and Interceptor. Dasari did not provide details on the models that can be expected from Royal Enfield.

“We will continue to have one new model every quarter. Because there is a delay due to COVID right now, I don’t think we will squeeze everything in but there are some very big models coming in. We are very excited about it. We will have to do all the marketing and market preparedness for that,” Dasari added.

While sales of the 650 twins in India nearly halved to 10,256 units in FY21, largely due to COVID-19 disruption, Royal Enfield believes that there is space for more 650cc products.

“Yes, there is a need to think about every platform. Not just the Twins, but Himalayan, Meteor and Classic. So we should think about every platform on how we can meet other kinds of customer requirements,” Dasari added.

The pandemic disrupted the supply chain network of the automotive industry, leading to shortages and delay of critical parts with parts manufacturers dealing with high absenteeism on the shop floor. Shortage of semiconductors, which started in Q3FY21, is still impacting output.

Royal Enfield production has also taken a hit, dropping to half of its peak output during the first two months of FY22. From 80,000 units a month, Royal Enfield sold an average of 40,000 units a month between April and May. The company, however, has an order backlog of 2-3 months.

“New model launch development takes 3-5 years depending on the complexity of the vehicle. So, the models are ready, I want to be able to have a clear visibility of the supply chain so I can launch it in enough quantity and not be short of supply. So, we may delay the launch by a month or so but I don’t see any massive changes because of that,” Dasari added.

Royal Enfield New Motorcycle Launches Will Be Highest This Year – CEO
by Arun Prakash from https://www.rushlane.com

In Dasari’s own words, “This year will probably see the highest number of new models that are ever seen from Royal Enfield in a year”.

Although Covid-19 has led to disruptions of operations at many levels, Royal Enfield is still confident to launch multiple new models in FY2022

Even if the company does not receive any new bookings, it has enough backlog orders to clear which will keep the assembly line moving for at least the next 2-3 months.

Late last year, the Chennai-based bikemaker announced that henceforth it will be launching as many four models (new and upgraded) every year which meant one new launch every quarter.

Future RE models
Since November last year, Royal Enfield has launched one brand new model in the form of Meteor 350 and updated three others including Himalayan, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. The brand’s next big-ticket launch is expected to be the new-gen Classic 350 which will be based on the J architecture as Meteor. Along with this, the company has planned a couple of 650cc models including a cruiser and a classic roadster.

The manufacturer is also reportedly developing a new scrambler based on the same 650cc parallel-twin chassis. The company recently filed a trademark for the same called ‘Scram’.

Another crucial new model slated to launch in the coming few months is the new roadster which goes by the name ‘Hunter’ and is expected to take on Honda CB350 H’Ness. According to Dasari, all these models are ready to be launched as they have already been in development for 3-5 years.