Royal Enfield: A Lal for two

Siddhartha Lal makes a relaxed impression, when he speaks of those days in a Video Interview about what are the effects of the Corona-has been Bad for his business. Actually, Siddhartha Lal, 46 power, always a relaxed impression. The man with the black hair and the black beard is not only the Boss of the Indian group, Eicher Motors, the car in a Joint Venture with Volvo trucks, buses and coaches, and builds. In the motorcycle industry, you get to know him as Chef-charismatics of the motorcycle manufacturer, Royal Enfield, part of Eicher.

Walter Wille

editorial "technology and Motor"

Eicher? Enfield? Especially Indian the sounds. But it is not. The Name of the parent group goes back to the defunct German tractor manufacturer Eicher. The was founded in 1959, together with the importer of the good earth, a joint venture for the production of Eicher-Tractors in India, the Eicher Motors developed. Royal Enfield, a motorcycle manufacturer since 1901, went down at the beginning of the seventies. While the production in England ebbed back then, it was continued in the case of Enfield India, and in 1956 opened a manufacturing facility in the vicinity of Madras, today's Chennai. Enfield India had originally been launched to mount in the license, the model Bullet, initially for the Indian military, soon also for civilian use.

Royal Enfield went broke, Enfield India became an independent institution, it merged and finally, in 1994, Eicher. So it was that the oldest continuously producing motorcycle manufacturer in the world is located in India. Depending on the way the Enfield are outdated motorcycles in Design and technology is hopeless, or the last Bastion for the preservation of the true values. For lovers of rustic engineering, Royal Enfield is the sacred cow.

to be a crisis-on the edge 20 years ago, Siddhartha Lal, the goal, in the Segment of medium-sized machines up to 750 cubic centimeter engine displacement, the number one was from. Actually, it went uphill soon. And how Was the sales in 2005, according to the company, at 25 000 motorcycles in the year, and in 2010 already more than 50 000. In the financial year 2018/19 rolled 850 000 copies of the three factories.

A discharge of almost one Million motorcycles was in front of Corona, for the just ended fiscal year 2019/20 planned. Whether the goal was achieved or missed, the Indians so far, don't know. One way or the other: Of numbers such as the European brands only dream of. Most of the Enfield India did not leave. About 95 percent of the production will remain on the home market, the largest in the world. 1.3 to 1.5 million two-wheelers, mostly everyday vehicle up to 200 cubic, are approved on a monthly basis.