Suzuki and Honda are not considering to enter the niche cruiser bike segment like RE.
Royal Enfield has been ruling the roost when it comes to cruiser bike sales in India. The Indian bike maker has a wide lineup of niche retro looking motorcycles. However, Honda and Suzuki believe that this segment is seeing a decline in popularity.
Both the Japanese bike makers were studying the segment closely. In fact, Honda was about to launch a bike rivalling Royal Enfield in 2020 but there is no update on this product and this plan is believed to be shelved by Honda.
Top officials of Suzuki Motor Corporation have said that customers in India are tired of such design and styling now that were very popular earlier and that is the reason why Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson have seen a decline in sales.
Both Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson have a similar DNA of design and styling. The Japanese bike makers think the younger audience is now preferring sporty and adventure style motorcycles instead of classic.
Royal Enfield has recently expanded their portfolio to tap into other segments like Cafe Racer, Adventure and Cruiser bikes with Continental GT 650, Himalayan and Thunderbird. Brand’s DNA is represented by the Classic 350 which generates more than 60 percent of domestic volumes.
Royal Enfield Style
– Japanese bike makers lose interest in Royal Enfield style of bikes
– They believe there is a decline in popularity of such bikes
– Both Honda and Suzuki were studying the segment closely
Source – MoneyControl.com