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Indian Motorcycle Company Moves in to the Home of Harley Davidson

Andrew Ashton
/
Flickr
The Indian motorcycle company Royal Enfield will be opening a showroom in Milwaukee's Third Ward in 2016.

India is known around the world for more things – Bollywood, curry, its textile industry, yoga and its growing tech sector. What you might not think of immediately is its automotive industry.

"Currently (Royal Enfield) makes 300,000 (motorcycles), and within two years they want to double that. So they see the U.S. and the European markets as a huge part of that," Milwaukee Business Journal reporter Olivia Barrow says.

The company's roots go back 125 years, starting with the Enfield cycle and small arms company in England. The motorcycles were used by the Indian military throughout the first and second World Wars, and have been growing strong as commercial bikes ever since. Last year Royal Enfield made a record $482 million in income and dominates the midsize motorcycle market in India.

A new Royal Enfield motorcycle showroom and distribution office will soon be opening in Milwaukee’s Third Ward to serve North America. It will be the first corporately owned dealer in this country for the Indian company, and the fact that it is setting up shop in the home of Harley Davidson is notable, and deliberate.

Barrow's article about Royal Enfield’s foray into North America is featured in the Milwaukee Business Journal. She explains on Lake Effect how the company is looking to serve the middleweight motorcycle market as a complement, not a competitor, to Harley's products: