It’s already an established fact: small/medium displacement bikes have their own market in Europe too, where dealers’ customers have been defending the “bigger is better” concept for years, sometimes with inconsistent results. How can we not mention the first 1000 or 1100 cc sports bikes of the 1980s, which, in addition to their incredible power (for the time), were associated with weights and dimensions unsuitable for sporty riding, which meant that they were ridiculed in the corners by much more modest bikes in terms of displacement and performance?
But beyond this example, the point is that the gap opened up almost 10 years ago by Royal Enfield is attracting other manufacturers: simple, easy-to-ride bikes with a focus on “value for money”, but aesthetically pleasing thanks also to their own personality and consistency of design.
The Indian manufacturer has always said that, in the segment of small/medium displacement motorcycles with attractive prices, there was a lot to do in Europe and room to expand. And it was right: not only is Royal Enfield now a (re)established brand on the Old Continent, but it has paved the way for other manufacturers who have already introduced their 300/400 cc bikes in Europe, or are in the process of doing so. In India, to cite just one significant fact, there is a battle to the death to conquer the market for motorcycles of around 350 cc, where the best-selling model is currently the Royal Enfield Classic 350 (in November 2023, more than 31,000 units had been delivered in India alone! Who knows if one of the Chennai-based company’s rival manufacturers could be about to land in our country and somehow repeat Royal Enfield’s virtuous path.
Since Indian manufacturers have more than adequate bikes, even for global distribution, which of those currently vying for supremacy in the country have – in our opinion – a good chance of making it to Europe? And what do we care about Indian manufacturers that we know little or nothing about? That said, it’s a question that deserves some hypothetical answers.
The Indian market is a place where some of the world’s strongest players clash. For example, Hero will be the second largest manufacturer by volume by 2023 (the first is Honda) and TVS, Bajaj and the Classic Legends group also have significant volumes on their side. Given that many of the things we see in Asia have an important reverberation here, when conditions in the so-called “mature” markets allow it, we wouldn’t be too surprised if in 2025 or shortly afterwards some of these brands landed in Europe to give a new impetus to the 300/400 cc motorcycle segment and perhaps significantly change the balance of sales volumes.
TVS: a giant that has a partnership with BMW for the production of the G 310 family in India and, moreover, the G 310 RR is very close to a TVS best-seller, such as the Apache RR. The partnership with Munich doesn’t end there; it also continues with electric vehicles. TVS acquired Norton, the historic and renowned British brand. Let’s remember that.
Bajaj: another giant (the fourth largest manufacturer in the world by 2023) that has an ongoing partnership with a European manufacturer, or rather two; in this case, Triumph, for which it builds the 400 cc Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400 family (it seems that other bikes are planned on the same platform) and KTM, to which it is linked by shareholdings, as well as having Bajaj build KTM and Husqvarna small-cylinder bikes, 5 million bikes to date, and this number will increase with future electrics.
Jawa: yes, the Czech brand has split into two. On the one hand, we have Jawa operating in the Czech Republic and, on the other, Classic Legends (Mahindra) has acquired the rights to operate the brand for the Indian region, producing a range of 300 or 350 cc single-cylinder bikes in the classic style, including the Pèrak. “Why?” you might ask, until you discover that Jawa was a very popular brand in India in the past. What’s more, if you look at the list of Czech-based Jawa, you’ll also find some models made in India.
Yezdi: I bet not many of you remember this name, which is not surprising. It’s a historic brand in India, where it picked up the Jawa legacy, then disappeared and was later resurrected again by Classic Legends to exploit the brand’s appeal and market dominance. In short, there’s a list of three models (Scrambler, Adventure and Roadster) based on the Jawa Pèrak engine and big development plans.
Hero: not with Europe, but with America. The marriage between Hero and Harley-Davison has already produced the Harley-Davidson X440, a roadster currently only sold in India. But just a few days ago, the Hero Mavrick 440 was unveiled, based on practically the same platform as the X440. If we add to this the fact that Hero doesn’t hide the fact that it wants to establish itself in Europe and that Harley isn’t going to bring the X440 here (at least, so far there’s no news about this)… we can expect to see the Mavrick in the West sooner or later.
What is certain is that TVS has announced an agreement to import and distribute its vehicles in Europe through the Swiss group Emil Frey, Jawa (as we’ve seen) already has one foot in the door, Hero has more than concrete intentions made clear at EICMA 2023 and BSA is hoping for more intensive distribution beyond the UK. What was left out? Bajaj which, if it wanted to, would certainly have models for the European market and Yezdi which, honestly, we don’t think is a recognizable brand in the West, but which could supply its bikes (think of a small 300 cc adventure) to Jawa.
In short, the Indian invasion, after the Chinese one, has already begun, albeit with very different assumptions and methods from those that brought us CFMOTO, QJ, VOGE and all the other Chinese brands that are gaining ground and increasingly significant market shares, also through the ownership of Italian brands. In fact, it will be – and is already being – very interesting to see how the common ground of competitive prices will be approached and managed between the Indians and the Chinese, in a scenario that is still largely unwritten.
