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Tracing the journey of one of world’s most iconic motorcycles—Royal Enfield

Updated : October 08, 2019 06:33 AM IST

Founded in the UK in 1890, Royal Enfield’s success runs parallel to the early growth of the automotive industry. The brand took the humble bicycle and transformed it to the legendary motorcycle that is today.

In the 1950s, the company embarked on a road trip that took it 8,500 km to Chennai. Under the ownership of an Indian company, it continued to manufacture and sell motorbikes in the subcontinent. Recently, its journey has come full circle as the brand returns to its roots.

Royal Enfield has made a significant investment in the UK, taking advantage of the country’s wealth of technical and design expertise. In fact, the UK is home to 80 per cent of the world’s high performance motorsport engineers, making it the global centre for automotive innovation. Plus, Royal Enfield’s performance in the UK is up 124.8 per cent on registrations to 2,140 motorcycles. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is the top selling model in 2019 in the middleweight market (126cc-650cc).

A glimpse of the automotive sector in the UK

The UK is a major global automotive production centre, with the highest productivity amongst the major European automotive producing nations. A global centre for automotive research and development, our specialist manufacturers and motorsports teams attract top talent and launch new ideas.

Since 2009, the UK’s automotive industry has been the fastest growing in Western Europe. This is due to an increased demand for cars made in the UK and the supportive business environment in the country.

The UK is home to 80 per cent of the world’s high-performance automotive engineers, making it a leading global hub for automotive innovation and R&D.
The UK car industry is the fastest growing in Europe over the seven years since 2009.

Six out of ten of the world’s Formula One teams have their headquarters in the UK (Red Bull, McLaren Honda, Mercedes AMG Petronas, Renault Sport, Williams Martini, and Force India).
The UK is creating the most progressive regulatory framework for driverless cars in the world with significant investment in electrification and new technologies.

Return to homeland

Back in its spiritual home in the Midlands, Royal Enfield has established its new technology centre at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire—a state-of-the-art facility. The UK Technology Centre acts as the innovative hub and global headquarters for product strategy, development, industrial design, research and analysis.

The company also received support from the UK Government in the form of introductions to companies along the automotive supply chain.

Royal Enfield’s success can be seen (and ridden) across the Commonwealth as it exports its bikes to countries that include Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia.

This is a partnered post with Department for International Trade.

Tracing the journey of one of world’s most iconic motorcycles—Royal Enfield

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