Bullet going ‘balle balle’

Only mobike selling well in region sans December discount

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

As 2018 comes to an end, it is raining discounts on automobiles, including luxury cars and high-end superbikes. Even the cult brands like Triumph, Harley Davidson are offering discounts. However, if you are planning to buy a Royal Enfield motorcycle in anticipation of getting discount, think again.

The bike maker, which sells every third motorcycle in Chandigarh and every sixth in Punjab per month, is not offering any discount to customers.

According to automobile enthusiasts, the end of the year is always a good time to buy cars, motorcycles and scooters, as automobile players and dealers roll out discounts and offers to clear out existing stock which will be a year old in the next year.

“Traditionally, there have always been offers and discounts on two-wheelers and four-wheelers. This year is no exception. The offers may be in form of cash discounts, free insurance or accessories,” said a dealer.

Triumph is offering three schemes for customers to boost sales in December. The customer can either have accessories worth Rs 1.7 lakh free or can get a discount of Rs 80,000. Under the third scheme, the customer can get his bike financed under zero per cent rate of interest. Triumph superbikes range between Rs 7.7 and Rs 25 lakh and its customers are usually big landlords, merchant navy officers, businessmen and medical professionals.

Similarly, Harley Davidson is offering discount starting from Rs 80,000. It has models ranging from Rs 5.31-Rs 53 lakh. “The discount varies from bike to bike and can go up to a lakh for selected models,” said a sales consultant at Harley Davidson showroom in Chandigarh.

However, in comparison to other bikes, Royal Enfield is not offering any discount. “We don’t offer any discount to the consumers at the end of the year i.e. December. Firstly, we have a lean inventory mechanism where we just don’t push the machines to our dealership. Secondly, the bike enjoys immense equity in this region. So the riders are least bothered about the year of manufacture. They just want to associate with the brand,” Royal Enfield President Rudratej Singh told The Tribune in an exclusive interaction.

On an average, the waiting period of the Royal Enfield motorcycle ranges from 15 days to three months, depending upon the model which could be also the possible reason for zero discount.

The average monthly sales of the motorcycle in Punjab were around 35,658 till October this year. In Chandigarh, it was 1,437 motorcycles. Royal Enfield enjoys share of 17 per in Punjab and 34 per cent in Chandigarh. In the mid-size motorcycling segment (250 cc-750 cc), it is 68 per cent and 80 per cent in Punjab and Chandigarh respectively.

Meanwhile, the company launched Continental GT and Interceptor 650 twins to further strengthen its presence in the mid-size segment.

For Chart

Mid and high-powered superbikes (250 cc and above)

Market size in Punjab & Chandigarh: 90,000 units annually

Major market in Punjab: Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Chandigarh

Major players: Royal Enfield, Harley Davidson, Triumph, Benelli, Indian Motorcycle