[sarathlal]

Chennai-based Royal Enfield (RE), originally a British marque from Redditch, sold a shade over 3 lakh bikes in 2014, overtaking Harley's global sales of 2.67 lakh units.

More than getting past Harley, it is that uncanny growth rate that is remarkable. Kudos to RE in achieving this impeccable growth!
Rare to see such a sales chart



Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/46090462.cms

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Chennai-based Royal Enfield (RE), originally a British marque from Redditch, sold a shade over 3 lakh bikes in 2014, overtaking Harley's global sales of 2.67 lakh units.

Kudos to RE in achieving this impeccable growth. Rare to see such a sales chart

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/46090462.cms

Aren't we comparing apples to oranges? Both bikes are in a different segment all-together. Its like saying Alto outsells Mercs - Yes, but how does that matter?

Disclaimer: I am a proud owner of two of those Bullets

[apachelongbow]

I have heard this disturbing news that the RE bikes which are exported are of far better quality both mechanically and fit and finish wise, than the sub standard stuff we are dished out here. That's why the foreigners have rave reviews on the stuff RE sells there.

Currently RE is selling well in India on a combination of nostalgia, the various RE riding communities and the fact that there is no other 500 cc bike being sold at similar prices.
I would love to see what happens when Hyosung fully localizes their bikes in India and sells at par prices and Harley releases the street 500 here.

[msdivy]

Good for Royal Enfield. But why compare with Harley? You will get 3 most expensive bullets for 1 cheapest Harley.

[prakhar1998]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Aren't we comparing apples to oranges? Both bikes are in a different segment all-together. Its like saying Alto outsells Mercs - Yes, but how does that matter?

Disclaimer: I am a proud owner of two of those Bullets

Considering how the Alto and Golf are compared when it comes to small car sales globally, I think, its a fair competition.
Now, what is not known is how many of these sales are in India.

[invincible7]

I saw this article in TOI Delhi today on the front page and was quiet amused to say the least, comparing a 2 lakh bike with that of a 7 lakh bike and the quality of parts along with a great heritage and icon cult is a joke IMHO . Couldnt quiet get how this becomes such a big news to be published on the front page of a leading newspaper of the country, maybe the editor let it slip out ignoring the rest of the news making in the country.

Maybe tomorrow we might read TVS toppling the sales figures of Triumph worldwide

[preetamkabra]

Way to go Royal Enfield.
But yes, I agree, the comparison is all incorrect. From technical as well as one to one perspective. simply said (for a layman like me), max CC of the Bullet (Single Cylinder) is 500 where those of Harley's twin cylinders starts from 750. I am proud that the Enfield numbers are crossing those of Harleys worldwide, but I wouldn't dare to compare them one to one.
May be the similarities of the two could be good such as cult following, iconic status, either hate it or love it to death relation etc.

[tharian]

I would look at the part where RE sales have zoomed in the last 4 years rather than compare with HD.

Agreed both bikes have some similarities like exclusivity and die hard followers.

13 years ago, when I bought my Bullet Electra, I was able to choose between three Electra's of the same color which was parked on the showroom floor. Compare that with the scene now and that is how much these bikes have been popularized.

Back then, Enfield riders also had the privilege of being looked at twice or stared at since the bike was that rare. I see every 5th bike is an Enfield now in Bangalore.

I can think of only one reason for the majority of this success, and that is the UCE engine set up. The present set of buyers of this bike are getting a Bullet, a fuel efficient and powerful motor with a normal gear set up. Compare this with bikes from Enfield ten years ago, apart from riding a bike which was rare, there was nothing else., and not to forget the multiple variants available now.

A true success story from when they were almost down and out.

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Aren't we comparing apples to oranges? Both bikes are in a different segment all-together. Its like saying Alto outsells Mercs - Yes, but how does that matter?

Disclaimer: I am a proud owner of two of those Bullets

here's an alertnate view:

Similarities:
1)Both companies/brands started in early 20th century. (Actually RE started in late 19th Century) across 'The Big Pond' from each other but producing similar products (V-twins etc).

2)Both were major supplier of almost identical products to the coalition forces in WW1 & WW2 and also were two of the few to survive the great depression in the intervening years.

3)RE folded up in the sixties, but production continued in Indian entity. HD was going through it's own set of identity crises and in the late 70's settled on producing only high cubic capacity behemoths suitable for highway cruising in American conditions. This is where the differentiation began, where RE continued producing classic bikes for urban commute and HD continued developing a line up of great American cruisers.

4)Today, both are considered iconic brands, whose products represent modern avatars of retro products from an era gone by in America & Britain.

The revival of RE as an iconic British brand is mostly thanks to Eicher Motors and the people of India, who, due to entirely the wrong reasons (lack of options and a complete disconnect from the rest of the world in the automobile sector for decades), continued to stoke RE sales.

So, all said & done, as an Indian and a proud owner of an RE, this TOI story makes a lot of sense to me and fills me with pride and a sense of joy on recent global & domestic achievements of Eicher Motors.

[SmartCat]

Since it is TOI, you can expect screaming headlines like this soon -

"Tata Zest Races Past Audi A6 In Global Sales"

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Chennai-based Royal Enfield (RE), originally a British marque from Redditch, sold a shade over 3 lakh bikes in 2014, overtaking Harley's global sales of 2.67 lakh units................Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/46090462.cms

There's a reason why TOI is referred to as 'To!let paper of India', their dubious journalism standards are legendary. Its important that Tbhp members rely on sources that are more credible than what is essentially a glorified page 3 news company.

I agree with Sarath that RE's sales growth is impressive, but in no way can it be compared to HD. Bajaj, Hero and TVS outsell the likes of HD, Ducati, Aprillia....SO WHAT?! theres no comparison.

The Indian makers produce very different, more affordable mass market bikes. Imagine the sales volumes if HD decided to do a single cylinder 350cc bike at 2 lacs........they might end up doubling sales volumes in Asia alone. There's a reason they don't do that.

While RE's recent growth has been impressive they cannot hold a candle to where HD stands. With annual revenue closing in on $7 BILLION, they are 6-7 times what Eicher are doing (that includes RE, commercial vehicles, tractors et all)

We need to stop celebrating paid news distribution. As a forum we are way smarter than that.

[naveenroy]

Can someone tell me how to get a job in TOI? Seems like an easy job. Locate the single most barren fact you can, put in some sensational words/numbers, and then publish. Must be easy to make money off that rag - what with all the ads they publish. Ah, journalism.

But, in all this - gotta appreciate RE for selling so many units of their bikes in 2014. Unprecedented eh? Lot of yuppies buying em and I mean no offense with that term.

Btw, hate RE - owned one for years and the last few years before I sold it was a nightmare I don't ever want to relive

[B O V]

I think, an important point that we are missing is that its the global sales figures that are intimated here.

From what I've seen on the website, Royal Enfield sells in over 55+ countries. The fact that their model lineup is limited till 500cc (535 if we're nitpicking), yet has managed to beat HD with their varied and extensive lineup of motorcycles, I think RE has done a pretty darn good job. In sales.

Obviously if we were to get the total number of RE units sold in India, thus getting percentage contribution of India in sales to the global sales, then we can have a better idea of their growth. Since the sales in India too has increased drastically. I mean as opposed to a few years back,our roads have a hella lot more RE's now. I hope they start releasing some better motorcycles(Power!) soon.

Regards

BOV

[GTO]

I think this is a pretty interesting development.

Yes, Royal Enfield is much cheaper than Harley. So? If you have to look at it that way, here's another perspective. Royal Enfield sells a majority of its production in India, as Harley does in the USA.

Why don't we compare their prices to the per capita income of their respective countries?

India = $1,500
USA = $53,000

The USA market is so strong that Toyota sells more Camrys there than Maruti does Altos in India!

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Its like saying Alto outsells Mercs - Yes, but how does that matter?

Originally Posted by smartcat

Tata Zest Races Past Audi A6 In Global Sales

We're talking of manufacturers, not models (BTW, Mercedes does sell more cars than Maruti globally).

When the world's top car makers are listed, they are ranked in order of sales (not according to the price of their cars). And the fact is, Royal Enfield is a bigger motorcycle manufacturer on these charts than Harley Davidson.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Yes, Royal Enfield is much cheaper than Harley. So? If you have to look at it that way, here's another perspective. Royal Enfield sells a majority of its production in India, as Harley does in the USA.

Why don't we compare their prices to the per capita income of their respective countries?

India = $1,500
USA = $53,000

If you are introducing per capital income into the equation, well, Harley Davidson is a market leader in USA, while Royal Enfield is not a market leader in India - there in lies the difference.

See, Royal Enfield's sales growth has been very impressive- kudos to Siddarth Lal. What's NOT impressive is that its sales have overtaken Harley Davidson's. It is mostly meaningless.

When looking at a particular sales region like India, one is supposed to compare Royal Enfield's sales with TVS Motors, Bajaj Auto, Hero Honda, Harley Davidson India etc.

When the world's top car makers are listed, they are ranked in order of sales (not according to the price of their cars). And the fact is, Royal Enfield is a bigger motorcycle manufacturer on these charts than Harley Davidson.

Auto companies are ranked by revenues, marketshare and profits too. Depends on the article you read.

https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourc...20by%20revenue

If units sold is such an important factor, we should all be in awe with SAIC, Dongfeng Motors, Geely, Great Wall Motors, BYD Motors etc. Their sales numbers are pretty impressive indeed.