Royal Enfield has announced its entry into South Korea, with Vintage Motors (Kiheung International) as its official distributor partner in the country. The Chennai-based manufacturer has set up its first flagship store in Seoul, commencing full operation in the Asian country, including aftersales, spares and service.
This strategic move is in-line with Royal Enfield’s plan to expand the global midsized motorcycle segment (250-750cc). The company will retail four of its models with single-cylinder engines: the Bullet 500, Classic 500, Classic 500 Chrome and the 410cc Himalayan adventure motorcycle.
Commenting on the launch of Royal Enfield at the exclusive store in Korea, Vimal Sumbly, APAC Business Head, said, “Our focus is to sustain and expand our reach in international markets especially in the Asia Pacific region. Royal Enfield has seen consistent growth in the APAC region with a 20 percent year-on-year growth. Korea is an important chapter in the growth story and we are thrilled to commence business here.”
Pablo Lee Jr., CEO of Kiheung Motors, said, “We are honoured to partner with Royal Enfield and bring their passion for motorcycling to customers across Korea. Royal Enfield motorcycles will offer Korean riders an opportunity to upgrade to a robust long-distance, leisure riding culture with its modern-classics machines, that are brilliant for long rides on the highway at the same time perfect to commute in heavy traffic in the city."
Royal Enfield’s sales network in India comprises of over 850 stores, along with more than 540 dealerships worldwide in over 50 countries, and 38 exclusive stores in cities like London, Paris, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Milwaukee, Bogota, Buenos Aries, Dubai, Jakarta, Bangkok, HCMC and now Seoul, to name a few. Royal Enfield recently also introduced its much awaited twin-cylinder bikes – the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650, which marked the revival of twin-cylinder production after five decades and also heralded the start of the brand's global expansion.