Royal Enfield Will Start CKD Operations In Thailand

• Thai facility will be first CKD plant for Royal Enfield outside India.
• RE 650 Twins has clocked over 700 bookings in Thailand.
• Over 100 units of the new 650 Twins delivered in Thai market.

Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Royal Enfield has always been vocal about his plans to make RE a global name in the motorcycling world. 2018 was an important year for Lal as Royal Enfield launched its most powerful production bikes in the form of the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. Both the motorcycles have been warmly received by bikers from across the world and will play a key role in expanding the brand’s footprint in foreign markets. And speaking about expansion, Royal Enfield has announced that it will be setting up its first assembly plant outside India in Thailand. It will be the first wholly-owned subsidiary for RE in the Asia Pacific region and is expected to commence operations by June 2019. 

Royal Enfield inaugurated its first dealership in the Thai market Bangkok three years back. It has emerged as one of the biggest global markets for RE and it has plans to set up 15 dealerships and 25 service centres across Thailand by March 2020. By assembling the bikes, Royal Enfield could price their products more aggressively and expand its presence in the Thai two-wheeler market. 

Take a look at the official press release:

• Royal Enfield announces the formation of its wholly-owned subsidiary in Thailand
• Overwhelming response paves the way for a new chapter for Royal Enfield in  Thailand
• Thailand CKD assembly plant, Royal Enfield’s first outside of India, planned by June 2019

21 March 2019, India: Royal Enfield, the global leader in mid-sized motorcycles, today announced the formation of its first wholly-owned subsidiary in the Asia Pacific region, in Thailand. With a tremendous demand for its evocative motorcycles, Thailand will also host Royal Enfield’s first assembly plant outside of India, which is planned to commence operations by June 2019.

Announcing the company’s plans for Thailand, Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Royal Enfield, said, “Ever since we commenced sales in Thailand three years ago, we have been absolutely delighted by the love we’ve received from riders here. 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.

“Thailand has become Royal Enfield’s third home after its origins in UK and success in India. The initial success of the 650 Twins in Thailand has proven that Royal Enfield is well poised to fill the gap in the mid-size segment,’’ said Siddhartha. “With a massive segment of commuters ready to upgrade and a robust long-distance, leisure riding culture in the country, Thailand offers huge headroom for growth for Royal Enfield. We believe that localising our operations in Thailand will allow us to serve our customers at a closer and more intimate level .”

Talking about Royal Enfield Thailand’s business plans, Vimal Sumbly, Head Business, APAC Region, Royal Enfield said, “Royal Enfield started with one store in Bangkok, which has been instrumental in helping us understand this market. We have an aggressive plan to expand our reach to about 15 standalone dealers and 25 authorized service centers by March 2020. The expanded reach will offer customers better accessibility and convenience in Bangkok and the Greater Bangkok area, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

The Interceptor 650 recently won the prestigious ‘Best Modern Classic Middle-Weight’ award at the Thailand Bike of the Year 2019 awards.