Two-wheelers rev up for mid-size battles amid rising competition

Royal Enfield has made aggressive moves in the 250-350 cc segment that it dominates, but the competition is accelerating

On August 7 this year, iconic motorcycle maker Royal Enfield launched the Hunter 350 at a price range between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 1.7 lakh, depending on the variant. That makes it the cheapest bike in the Chennai-headquartered major’s J-platform, the base design for the new 350 cc engine that debuted in November 2020 with the Meteor 350 (Rs 2.28 lakh).

Royal Enfield already dominates with a 93 per cent share in this mid-size motorcycle segment that the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) defines as greater than 250 cc and up to or equal to 350 cc. It sells the