The Continental GT outsold the Harley-Davidson Street 750 by a difference of 12 units in April 2015, turning the tables for Royal Enfield.
The 2014-15 financial year saw Harley-Davidson close the fiscal on a high as its entry-level offering the Street 750 clocked 3029 units of sales. In comparison, the much more affordable Royal Enfield Continental GT (CGT) found it a tad bit difficult to keep up with the smallest Harley’s sales as it sold 2799 units during the same period. The difference was certainly striking considering that the CGT costs almost half of the Harley; however, it now seems that the tables have turned for the Chennai-based bike maker as the CGT has gained a lead in April 2015 sales, clocking 191 units, while the Street 750 clocked 179 units during the same period.
While the difference may be of just 12 units between both the offerings, it does show the drop in sales on the Harley offering. In fact, the Street 750 also recorded a 14 percent decline in year-on-year sales compared to April 2014 as the model sold 210 units last year. In contrast, the Continental GT hasn’t fared well either. The flagship Royal Enfield offering saw a startling drop in sales by 50 percent as it sold 388 units in the April 2014 period. While both brands offer a lot of snob value at different levels, they certainly haven’t been too fancied by the masses, at least that’s what the year-on-year decline in sales suggests.
It is most certain that Harley-Davidson commands a higher brand value in India while Royal Enfield has a more emotional connect with its target audience. The latter went retro when it launched the Continental GT last year, bringing back the 1960’s cafe racer concept, which has found limited homes till now. In terms of exports, the CGT managed to fare much better than its domestic sales as it clocked 214 units in April 2015, a marginal drop compared to the 225 units sold in April 2014. In terms of powertrain though, the Harley and Continental GT cater to very different segments with the Street powered by a 749cc V-Twin Revolution X engine while the Royal Enfield using a 535cc single-cylinder motor. From hereon, this fight is only going to get interesting.
