Vimal Sumbly, who resigned from his current role as Managing Director of Triumph India, is reported to take up a senior position in sales and marketing domain at Royal Enfield. Although neither Royal Enfield nor Mr. Sumbly has confirmed the development, the official announcement is expected soon.
Triumph has confirmed the senior official’s departure from the helm. Mr. Sumbly, who came on board Triumph India from Bajaj, where he helped set-up the brand’s KTM and Pro-Biking stores has also successfully established the British brand in the Indian premium motorcycle segment. Initiatives like the Triumph Tiger Training academy played a crucial role in building a strong brand presence.
The move to Royal Enfield comes at a time the company is gearing up to foray into the premium motorcycle space with its 650 twins (Continental GT and Interceptor). Having a professional like Mr. Sumbly who has extensive experience and proven track record in the Indian premium two wheeler market would give RE’s strategy for the 650 twins a shot in the arm.
He is said to report to Shaji Koshy, Head – India business at Royal Enfield. Autocar professional reports that, according to its sources, Mr. Koshy is approaching retirement and the company’s senior management is looking for an able person to lead the sales and marketing operations in the future.
To recap, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are powered by a 648 cc twin-exhaust liquid cooled engine which is rated at 47 HP and 52 NM of torque. The motor is paired with a 6-sped gearbox by means of a slipper clutch.
It is interesting to note that while Royal Enfield is moving up the ladder with its 650 twins, Harley Davidson has announced big plans to enter the compact displacement segment with the help of a yet-to-be-revealed Asian manufacturer. Then we have Bajaj Auto, who have teamed up with Triumph to launch a sub 500 cc cruiser (Many believed that Mr Sumbly could be heading back to Bajaj, to handle the new Bajaj-Triumph project. But that does not seem to be the case.). So, in a few years time, the battle for medium displacement motorcycle segment is set to get a lot hotter!