Royal Enfield has just leaked their new Himalayan 450. I say Royal Enfield has leaked it because that is what’s often the case. Automobile companies like tech companies have now developed this strategy where they leak their products way before their launch so they could generate hype among customers for when they finally launch the said products.
It is almost every day that I see one or the other smartphones getting leaked in the press. Earlier I thought this was done through the carelessness of smartphone companies. Now however I have come to know that these smartphones companies willingly leak their products before launch so that hype could be created. Royal Enfield seems to have caught wind of this strategy and is applying it to their motorcycle launches.
Leak strategy
For those who don’t know, Royal Enfield is on course to launch 20 motorcycles in 5 years. Understandably that is a lot of motorcycles to create hype around. This is why they have resorted to this leaking strategy. They often leak pictures or videos of their motorcycles so that people know about their upcoming products.
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 for example is being leaked for more than a year now with no launch date in sight. I cannot say that this strategy is not effective because here we are talking about it.
Too many motorcycles down the line
The Himalayan 450 would not be launched a year from now also because there are many other motorcycles yet to be launched before that. Royal Enfield has Hunter 350, Shotgun, Super Meteor and Bullet 350 in line for the next launches.
Only after these motorcycles are launched will Royal Enfield launch the Himalayan 450. Assuming every motorcycle at least takes 6 months, that’s 2 years covered. So expect the Royal Enfield 450 to be launched anytime in 2024!
What’s the need for 450 Himalayan?
The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been a huge success for the company. It, along with the Interceptor 650, has transformed the image of the country worldwide. No longer is it a company struggling with old motorcycles in the sea of modern Japanese and European tech.
Royal Enfield is considered one of the finest motorcycle companies with real pedigree. It sells in huge numbers in Europe and USA despite a strong challenge from the likes of Triumph, Harley Davidson and others. The Himalayan specifically is seen as a capable offroading machine with quality to die for.
It has created its own niche as a laid back off-road motorcycle. I paid emphasis on laid back because the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a heavy machine with less power. Although the 411cc engine is big in size, it generates just 24.3 hp by design. For comparison, the KTM 390 adventure with a 373cc engine produces 46 hp. That’s more than double of Himalayan with a smaller engine.
The power is one area where the Himalayan lacks a lot and this is what Royal Enfield wants to address with the Himalayan 450. The Himalayan 450 is expected to have a lot more power than the Himalayan 411. It is reported that the Himalayan 450 would produce 35-40 hp and shed some weight as well. This would make Himalayan a true offroader and allow Royal Enfield to challenge Honda, KTM and Yamaha to some extent.
Royal Enfield has the advantage of cheap labour in India which is why it can price its motorcycles lower than all the other Japanese and European counterparts. When launched the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 would surely undercut its competitors in terms of price.
I expect the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 to be priced at Rs 2.5 – 2.8 Lakh ex-showroom in India and £6000 in the UK.
