Key Points
BENGALURU: US big-bike maker Harley-Davidson and British rival Triumph have revved up India's premium motorcycle market with aggressively priced models that analysts said could dent the over half-century dominance of local champion Royal Enfield...
The similar, near-simultaneous change in approach by two of the industry's most storied brands represents one of the biggest challenges to Royal Enfield's virtual monopoly in high-end motorcycles, coming at a time of rising spending in India in premium segments across categories as varied as mobile phones and cars...
Such is the threat, the back-to-back launches pushed Royal Enfield maker Eicher Motors' stock price down as much as 12.5% and prompted brokerages to flag earnings risk for at least two years - even though Harley-Davidson and Triumph sales currently pale in comparison to those of Royal Enfield...
The pricing and brand cachet of the Harley-Davidson X440 and Triumph Speed 400 could cut Royal Enfield's share of India's 250 cc-plus segment to 75% from over 90%, Kotak said..
The new models mark a return to India for Harley-Davidson and a huge step up for Triumph, but they are up against Royal Enfield's large number of showrooms, strong after-sales service network and entrenched fan base for a 100-plus-year-old brand...
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16, Jul, 23Eicher Motors Ltd's share price dropped 6% on 4 July and continued to decline over the next four days, resulting in a 12.5% decline in five days. This drop is attributed to the launch of cheaper bikes by Hero MotoCorp Ltd and Bajaj Auto Ltd, which aim to compete with Eicher's Royal Enfield brand. However, analysts are divided on whether this competition will have a long-term impact on Eicher.
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