Amid rising global competition – Royal Enfield – the largest midsize motorcycle maker in the world is upping the ante in FY25 with its biggest product onslaught ever.
Our sister publication, Autocar Professional, has learnt that the company is likely to launch over six new models in the current financial year. The biggest focus of the year is going to be on building its core “Classic” franchise with all new models – facelifts, variants and bigger displacement bikes. Royal Enfield will be introducing new models across four different displacement categories during the year.
The company will be launching five all new models – Goan Classic 350, Scram 440, Guerilla 450, Interceptor Bear 650 and Classic 650 first, with the Classic 350 and its variants – the Bullet, Hunter and Meteor – getting an update later.
This would lead to a product portfolio expansion of almost 50 percent in the coming year. All this product action means Royal Enfield will be looking at double-digit growth in FY25 and cross a major milestone of 1 million units for the first time ever. Here are some of the major launches the company is lining up in the coming months:
Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450
The Guerrilla 450 is the second model to be based on the 452cc engine as the new Himalayan and it has the form factor of a neo-retro roadster. In all previous sightings, the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 has appeared to have a very slim and minimalist design, much like the popular Hunter 350. With the Guerrilla 450, Royal Enfield will have its sights set firmly on the popular Bajaj-built Triumph Speed 400, among others.
Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650
The Interceptor Bear 650 is the first off-road capable machine on the 650cc platform and it seems quite purposeful. The suspension seems to have a fair bit of travel and RE has also ditched the twin exhaust setup in favour of a two-into-one system, which should help shave off weight. It remains to be seen if any changes have been made to the 650 twin-cylinder engine here since it hasn’t seen any major changes since 2018.
Royal Enfield Classic 650
The Classic 650 seems to be a no-brainer for Royal Enfield, and it will combine the charm and styling of the Classic 350 with the larger engine and enhanced capabilities of the 650cc parallel-twin motor. The subframe and passenger seat seem to be quite reminiscent of the one seen on the Shotgun 650.
Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350
The Goan Classic 350 is a stripped-down, retro-style bobber based on the Classic 350 platform and it is one of the few bikes that will ship with whitewall tyres even in 2024. One can expect the fundamentals to remain the same as the Classic but expect practicality to be in limited supply here.
Royal Enfield Scram 440
The Scram 440 will not be based on the 450cc liquid-cooled platform, but will instead be powered by an air/oil-cooled 440cc engine derived from the 411cc engine seen on the Scram 411. As a result, power and performance levels are likely to be considerably lower than the new Himalayan, but, this is also likely to be a significantly more affordable model. And since this will fall under the Scram umbrella, it will not be a totally off-road-focused motorcycle like the Himalayan.
Royal Enfield launch timeline
The Guerilla 450 will be the first to launch in the July to September quarter, and the rest will follow in the second half of FY25. Even as rivals Triumph and Harley-Davidson consolidate their first few steps, Royal Enfield is clearly flexing its muscles on capacity, R&D capabilities in India and UK, investments of numerous vehicle architectures and a massive distribution reach locally as well as globally.
Rishaad Mody
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
