Goes outside India facility for the first time
Royal Enfield announced on September 9 that it will commence local assembly of motorcycles in Argentina in partnership with Grupo Simpa, Royal Enfield’s local distributor in the country since 2018.
It will be the first time in Royal Enfield’s modern history that motorcycles will be assembled and produced outside the company’s manufacturing facilities in Chennai, India.
The event for the local assembly announcement was graced by Mr Alberto Fernández, President of Argentina.
Argentina is among the biggest mid-size motorcycle markets in Latin America. Royal Enfield set up retail operations in Argentina in March 2018, with its first store in Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires. Since then the company has expanded its retail network in the market and now has five exclusive stores in Argentina. Overall, Royal Enfield has 31 exclusive stores and 40 other retail touchpoints in all of Latin American countries.
The local assembly unit in Argentina will be based at Grupo Simpa’s facility located in Campana, Buenos Aires. To begin with, the plant will locally assemble three motorcycle models – the Royal Enfield Himalayan, the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 – starting this month.
Speaking about the announcement, Mr. Vinod K Dasari, CEO, Royal Enfield, said, “With a strategic view to cater to growing demand and to gain significant market advantage, we have been pursuing our plans to set up local assembly units across specific markets in the Asia Pacific region and across South America. In the first of these, we are very happy to announce the first CKD assembly plant in Argentina.’
Brazil, Argentina and Colombia are among the three most important markets for Royal Enfield in Latin America. Beyond India (the biggest market for the brand with over 900 dealerships), Royal Enfield motorcycles reach consumers and enthusiasts in more than 60 countries worldwide.