Royal Enfield names Rod Copes as President, North America

Royal Enfield, the Chennai-based arm of Eicher Motors, has appointed Rod Copes as President, North America with immediate effect.
Copes will be responsible for driving Royal Enfield's businesses in the United States and Canada, the two-wheeler maker said in a statement.
"By naming Copes to a top-level executive position, Royal Enfield has firmly stated its intentions to rapidly expand the brand in the United States of America, its top export market," it added.
Commenting on the appointment, Eicher Motors MD & CEO Siddhartha Lal said Copes in-depth understanding of the North American markets and marquee brands will be vital for Royal Enfield.

"USA is an important market for us as we aspire to become the leader in the global mid-sized motorcycle industry. We realise that the mid-sized motorcycle market is underserved and opportunities are immense on this continent," he added.
Copes has previously worked with Harley-Davidson for nearly 20 years, most recently as Head of Global Sales and Customer Service.
In 2013, Royal Enfield sold 1,78,121 motorcycles. For the seven month period in 2014 (Jan-July), the two-wheeler maker has already sold 1,65,713 motorcycles, registering a growth of 84 per cent over the corresponding period last year.