As compared to May-18, sales of Royal Enfield bikes have dwindled by almost 17% in May-19. General slowdown in auto sector and launch of rival products are being seen as primary reasons for the reduced sales.
If we look at sales of individual Royal Enfield bikes, it reveals that most of the higher capacity bikes have registered negative growth in May-19. On the other hand, most of the Royal Enfield motorcycles in 350 cc segment have registered double digit growth.
Biggest decline has come for Royal Enfield Classic 500, with sales falling by a staggering -74.16%. Sales in May-18 were 2,368 units, but it dropped to 612 units in May-19. Next is Thunderbird 500, which has gone down from 383 units in May-18 to 133 units in May-19.
This translates into a loss of -65.27%. Royal Enfield is currently testing next-gen Thunderbird, which is expected to be launched in 2020. It will come with a range of new features and upgrades.
Another RE bike that has been hit hard is Bullet 500, registering -64.74% drop in sales. Bullet 500 sold 397 units in May-18, which has come down to 140 units in May-19. Both Classic 500 and Bullet 500 were recently updated with ABS and they are now priced at Rs 1.99 lakh and Rs 1.87 lakh respectively.
The only exception for Royal Enfield big capacity bikes are the 650 twins, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650, which have gained immense popularity and registered strong sales since their launch. In May, 650 twins’ sales stood at 2,427 units.
Coming to Royal Enfield 350 cc range motorcycles, the biggest gainer has been Bullet 350, with sales rising from 10,180 units in May-18 to 11,995 units in May-19. This translates into almost 18% growth in sales. Other Royal Enfield bikes that have registered positive growth include Bullet Electra (12.33%), Himalayan (11.72%), and Thunderbird 350 (9.71%).
The only losing entry in Royal Enfield 350 cc range is Classic 350 that has witnessed -29.62% decline in sales. Classic 350 sold 51,147 units in May-18, but sales dropped to 35,998 units in May-19. However, it remains to be the bestselling Royal Enfield in the country.
