Royal Enfield
Motorcycle sales figures for brands such as Royal Enfield in Australia had been very hard to come by. Royal Enfield is not a part of the official Federcal Chamber of Automotive Industries sales audit and the refusal of distributor Urban Moto Imports to releases their figures to the body seemed to be the catalyst for the FCAI brands now also holding their own cards close to their chest. FCAI brands now refuse to release detailed data on their own sales figures which is why of late you have not seen the regular detailed motorcycles sales figures analysis we generally brought to you each quarter on MCNews.com.au. New Zealand have a transparent mechanism with public reporting of registration data on a monthly basis but here it has all gone a bit secret squirrel. It is what it is…
However, we did recently gain some insights as to the position of Royal Enfield in the Australian motorcycle market. During a recent international model release presentation MCNews.com.au was a part of, some figures were shown that indicate that Royal Enfield’s growth in Australia is a lot stronger than most suspect.
The charts and numbers shown were not completely up to date but they did report an 88 per cent increase across the Asia-Pacific market between 2016-17 and 2019-20.
Drilling down to the Australian and New Zealand market the increase over the same period was quoted as 57 per cent. More interestingly, the figures for 2019-20 quoted a 4.2 per cent market share in Australia, presumably of road motorcycle sales, and a 10.5 per cent share of what Royal Enfield called the ‘mid-size’ market.
A later slide, presumably using more up to date data, listed Royal Enfield’s current mid-size motorcycle market share in Australia at 13.1 per cent. With retail volumes quoted as increasing 46 per cent year on year.
Looking at that data one would estimate that Royal Enfield sold around 2000 motorcycles last year in Australia. If that figure is correct then more new Royal Enfield motorcycles are hitting Australian roads than Ducati or Triumph are selling here. In fact, Royal Enfield could be knocking on the door of sixth outright in regards to road motorcycle sales volume in Australia, nudging ahead of KTM and Suzuki.
The presentation also detailed that Royal Enfield’s retail footprint in Australia and NZ has grown from 26 to 43 stores in the last three years. 32 in Australia, 11 in New Zealand.
This year, 2021, Royal Enfield celebrate their 120th anniversary.
Royal Enfield History
Royal Enfield started in Ridditch back in 1901 and lay claim to being the ‘oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production’.
A large part of that is due to Royal Enfield’s ongoing success in India, the world’s largest motorcycle market, while production in the UK shut down in 1970.
Royal Enfield will mark the year 2021 with several initiatives across the globe to celebrate the legacy and the journey of motorcycling with riding enthusiasts and communities.
Siddhartha Lal – Managing Director of Eicher Motors Ltd
“120 years is a long legacy for the brand, and we are very happy to have made it count. Royal Enfield is not just a motorcycle brand, it is a symbol of resilience and exploration and has been able to build a thriving culture of leisure riding around the world. Through these years we have endeavoured to stay authentic to our roots, continued to remain unique and distinctive, established a genre of leisure motorcycling that is accessible, inclusive, and absolutely enjoyable, and stayed relevant through the decades. Our goal is to strengthen Royal Enfield’s position as a truly global brand, and we will continue to challenge ourselves to develop products and experiences that will give wings to our desire to go further and experience new frontiers.”
In 1950 Winifred Wells, a motorcycling pioneer, and Royal Enfield Legend, rode a 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet from Perth to Sydney and back – covering over 5,500 miles in just 22 days. Less than two years later, accompanied by her father, Winifred then circumnavigated the entire Australian continent, covering almost 10,000 miles in 65 days, battling temperatures of up to 44°C.
Royal Enfield is not new in South East Asia either. Royal Enfield dealerships existed in Singapore before and after the Second World War. The brand enjoyed great popularity in the 1950s, with Singapore serving as the distribution hub for the whole South East Asia region.
Vimal Sumbly, Head – International Business – APAC, Royal Enfield
“It is a proud moment to achieve this milestone of 120 years of unbroken legacy. Not many brands have stood the test of time and enjoyed the privilege of journeying for over a century. It is a very proud moment for all of us at Royal Enfield, and for everyone who has been associated with the brand. We are fortunate to have the support, endorsement and encouragement of our customers, partners, and most importantly, of our riding community. It is their journeys and adventures that has made this brand legendary. This year in the APAC region, we will have a host of engaging activities for our communities as an ode to their support that have made us reach this remarkable milestone.”
