BackRoyal Enfield unveils Interceptor, Continental GT 650 at Eicma 2017
The Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 are powered by a 650 cc twin cylinder engine making 47 bhp of power and 53 NM of torque
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Milan: Royal Enfield on Tuesday unveiled two motorcycles—the Interceptor and the Continental GT—at Eicma 2017 motor show in Milan, making its foray into the burgeoning middleweight motorcycle category in India and elsewhere. The twins likely to be launched across markets next year.
“The bikes are in last stage of production. We expect to launch in some markets starting April next year and then through the year across various global other global geographies," Royal Enfield CEO Siddhartha Lal said on the sidelines of Eicma 2017 in Milan. The bikes would be first introduced in Europe followed by other locations, he added. “Royal Enfield aims to lead and expand the mid weight (250 cc -750 cc) motorcycle segment globally. These two new bikes would help grow this segment," Lal said.
Both the Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 are powered by an all-new, air-cooled 648 cc twin-cylinder engine that makes 47 bhp of power and 53 NM of torque. The engine was developed at Royal Enfield’s technology centre in Leicestershire, England, in collaboration with the firm’s UK staff at the new Bruntingthorpe facility and its team in Chennai. This engine will serve as a global platform that would carry the Royal Enfield legacy and character into modern context, the bike maker said.
The new motorcycles are being seen as direct competition to Harley-Davidson Inc. in the mid-sized motorcycle category in India. The US bike maker dominates the segment with its Street 750 model.
With the arrival of Royal Enfield, however, it faces a locally-owned distribution network that dwarfs Harley’s roughly 30 outlets by a multiple of 24. Were Enfield to ship even 10 of its new big bikes to each of its about 700 locations, it could double Harley’s 3,700 in annual sales, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Besides, India, Royal Enfield expects the Interceptor and Continental GT 650 to attract customers from other developing markets in South East Asia and Latin America. “The 650 twins offer a very evocative option to customers in mature motorcycle markets such as Europe, Australia and North America. For us this marks the beginning of a new chapter at Royal Enfield," Lal said.
The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are expected to retail at Rs3 lakh onwards in India, though details on final pricing are currently not available. PTI
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