Royal Enfield plans to launch diesel & new variants

India’s oldest motorcycle manufacturing company, Royal Enfield, is exploring newer segments, with the idea of bigger engines and diesel variants.

With petrol prices sky rocketing the company is looking to tap the diesel bike segment which is un explored.

Royal Enfield is looking to upgrade to the segment of 750cc engines and above in the coming years.

Venkatesh Padmanabhan, chief executive, said, “It makes sense for us to move into that (750cc, twin cylinder bikes) category. So many bike companies have been entering India and competition has just begun. However, things are at a very early stage, as neither the volumes from that segment or the commercials seem encouraging.”

Enfield is planning to bring diesel-powered bikes back into the Indian market, a project for which work is on. It was the first two-wheeler manufacturer to introduce diesel bikes, in the late 1990s.

Amongst new launches, the firm has also planned street versions of the Cafe Racer concept, to be introduced over the next 12-18 months. This concept was first showcased by the company in the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi.