ROYAL ENFIELD ROPES IN RAVICHANDRAN AS CEO

Royal Enfield, manufacturer of niche high-end bikes and a unit of Eicher Motors, has appointed RL Ravichandran, former head of marketing at Bajaj Auto, as its chief executive officer.

Prior to a seven-year tenure at Bajaj Auto starting from 1998 and ending in March 2005, Ravichandran had had an eight-year stint as head of sales and marketing for Chennai-based TVS Motors.

Royal Enfield made the announcement at the launch of its two new variants, Bullet Electra 5S and a new variant of its cruiser Thunderbird in the capital on Friday.

The launches are a part of the company's celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of Royal Enfield in India, said Siddharth Lal, chief operating officer of Eicher group.

The new bullet, with gear shift on the left, comes with gas-filled shock absorbers, glass wool silencer, multi-focal reflector lamps with option of disc brakes and electric start at a cost Rs 69,150 (ex-showroom Delhi).

The new thunderbird will cost Rs 73,970 and would come with electric start and disc brakes. Lal said the company was working on a new engine which would be available on its bikes by the year-end.

The company also said sales for this fiscal is targeted at 40,000 units against 30,000 units sold last fiscal, translating into a possible growth of 33 per cent.