Royal Enfield, the global leader in the midsize (250cc-750cc) motorcycle segment, has opened a new chapter in its expansion in the Americas region. The company has commenced operations at its new CKD (completely knocked down) assembly plant in Brazil.
This is a significant step forward in Royal Enfield’s plans in the Latin American region, more so with Brazil being a strong market for the Chennai-based manufacturer. Located in Manaus, capital of Amazonas state, the new facility is the fourth Royal Enfield CKD assembly unit across the world – after Thailand, Colombia and Argentina, in addition to its manufacturing and ancillary facilities located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Royal Enfield also has two world-class technical centres, in Bruntingthorpe, UK, and in Chennai, India.
With an assembly capacity of more than 15,000 units per year, the local assembly unit in Manaus is a state-of-the-art, modern facility that will cater to growing demand in the country. The facility will engage in local assembly of the entire line-up of Royal Enfield motorcycles, the Brazilian plant will locally assemble the entire RE line-up including the new Classic 350, Meteor 350, Himalayan, and the 650 twins, Continental GT and Interceptor.
With this new operation in place, the company aims to ensure quicker delivery timelines for its motorcycles in Brazil.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new facility, Royal Enfield CEO, B Govindarajan, said: “Royal Enfield has been working extensively to grow the middleweight motorcycling segment globally. With markets like the Americas region, Europe and the Asia-Pacific growing significantly, it has been our strategic intent to be closer to these markets and grow the business. We commenced on this journey a couple of years ago and have set up strategic assembly facilities in Thailand, and in Argentina and Colombia in LATAM.”
Brazil set to be RE’s largest market, after India
B Govindarajanadded, “Brazil has been a very strong market for Royal Enfield, and is soon poised to be the single largest market for us outside of India. We have seen growth of more than 100% since 2019 here in Brazil. We are very happy to launch our fourth CKD facility globally here in Brazil and this is testament to our commitment to the region and the market potential, and to our growing community of riding enthusiasts in the market. We are confident that this facility will help us grow the mid-segment market here in Brazil while enabling us to efficiently cater to the growing demand.
Brazil has been a key market for Royal Enfield since the brand’s foray there in 2017. Having made significant strides in the country and across the entire Americas region, Royal Enfield is now amongst the top five players in the midsize motorcycle segment in markets such as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and North America.