Recently, TVS Motor acquired the heritage-soaked Norton Motorcycles badge but other India-based bike makers are betting big on Europe already. Rumour mills suggest that Jawa, under the watchful eye of Classic Legends (a subsidiary of Mahindra who also own BSA and Peugeot Motorcycles) is all set to re-enter the European market very soon. Originally, the Czech brand was quite popular in Europe and its revival seems to be on track with the export of Jawa, Forty Two and Perak models from India. Meanwhile, Royal Enfield is already going from strength to strength with sales of 10,000 examples/annum in Europe.
Royal Enfield has had zero debt for the last 14 years and during the pandemic, it really helps. The research and development team is still in overdrive mode, suggests Siddhartha Lal, Royal Enfield’s Managing Director. In fact, Royal Enfield is planning to bring in 14 new concepts in the near future, of which the latest will be the Meteor 350.
It’s also interesting to know that while in India, its the Classic that brings in the numbers, 75 per cent of the total numbers in Europe are contributed by the Himalayan and 650 Twins. Among the 14 new concepts, expect a souped-up Himalayan (maybe the 650?) and a road-going variant of the flat-tracker that was recently showcased at the RE Slide School in Bengaluru. Royal Enfield doesn’t have a plan fo electric motorcycles as of yet but they will soon be exploring that option as well.
The Perak will be the first motorcycle to focus on for Jawa in India after the lockdown lifts as the bobber-stayed retro machine has caught the fancy of the neo-retro buyers. A lot of dealers have started accepting bookings for the Perak but deliveries haven’t happened thus far. Meanwhile, the Forty Two and Jawa have finally hit the roads after almost one and a half years since launch.