Chennai-based motorcycle maker Royal Enfield is opening the company’s first wholly-owned subsidiary in the Asia Pacific region, in Thailand.
Slated to be operational by June 2019, this will be RE’s first assembly plant outside of India. Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Royal Enfield, said, “Our customers in Thailand have discovered that our modern classics are brilliant for long rides on the highway while also being perfect to commute on in heavy traffic in the city. We are committed to focusing our energies on becoming part of the fabric of this country’s rich motorcycling culture, and our decision to start assembling our motorcycles in Thailand is a sign of Royal Enfield’s long-term commitment and growing confidence in the market.’’
Thailand was one of the first markets in Southeast Asia for Royal Enfield’s new Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 Twins, based on an all-new parallel twin engine platform. Since their unveiling in December 2018, the 650 Twins have already received over 700 bookings in Thailand, with over 100 motorcycles delivered till date. The Twins, which are inspired by Royal Enfield’s rich heritage and yet are truly modern motorcycles, complement a rich model line up already on sale in the country and were developed ground-up by teams at Royal Enfield’s technical centres in Chennai, India and Bruntingthorpe in the UK.