After Harley, Bajaj-Triumph trains guns on Royal Enfield

livemint.com:

NEW DELHI : Bajaj Auto and British luxury motorcycle brand Triumph on Wednesday launched their maiden offerings with two 400cc modern classics, strategically designed to woo the Indian youth. With competitive price points, these motorcycles will directly challenge the revered British marquee brand Royal Enfield that has so far maintained an unassailable dominance with over 70% share in the 350cc-500cc segment in India. The Speed 400, priced ₹2.33 lakh, ex-showroom, enters the market with an exclusive offer of ₹2.23 lakh for first 10,000 bookings.

This pricing range aligns with Hero MotoCorp’s Harley Davidson X440, which is priced at ₹2.29-2.69 lakhs, ex-showroom. Remarkably, it also places the Speed 400 only slightly above the iconic Classic 350, which is revered by Royal Enfield enthusiasts. While the Speed 400 will be available in Triumph showrooms in the second half of this month, the Scrambler 400 is scheduled for October launch.

“For the first time perhaps the Indian customers will have a choice of two brands, namely Harley and Triumph, that are best placed to compete in that (Royal Enfield) mind space. How consumers will react only time will tell," said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, Bajaj Auto. “Triumph being the custodian of the brand has done product design and development, and we will do sourcing, distribution and manufacturing.

We are hopeful we will be able to sell the product in significant numbers," he said. The motorcycles have been conceptualized and designed in Hinckley in England, and engineered in partnership with Bajaj Auto. Bajaj said premium motorcycle is “where the money is", a segment dominated by Royal Enfield, and it will be important to “rob that bank".