Indian Icon A Cult Called Royal Enfield

Few brands inspire the kind of devotion that an Enfield does. Its distinctive look and feel, the sound of its engine and the image that it creates of its rider have all contributed to putting the brand on the kind of pedestal that others could only dream of. From the beginning of the brand’s journey in India in the early 1950s, the Enfield bikes have had quite a ride. Initial success and acceptance notwithstanding, by the 1980s, the brand was considered an underachiever and a basket case. Enter Vikram Lal of Eicher in 1990. Lal’s enthusiasm for the brand gave it a new lease of life. Later, his son Siddhartha’s time at the helm saw marketing, product and vision all come together to catapult the bike to iconic status.