Royal Enfield continues to make moves aimed at gaining North American share; their latest play is signing a financing deal with GE Capital.
While that’s hardly as exciting as announcing a new model or a drop in prices, the news shows Royal Enfield is serious about becoming a bigger player on the North American market. GE Capital has been providing financing for members of the Big Four and other large-volume marques in North America for years.
If you’re looking to be taken seriously in business, it helps to work with outfits who have a strong history in the sector already. This move means it should be simple for prospective buyers to purchase a new Royal Enfield, although the company’s press release didn’t make any mention of interest rates.
Royal Enfield’s press release says the new North American arm will officially take over operations on this continent on January 1. This new subsidiary is owned by the parent company, and is being run by Rod Copes, the man responsible for bringing Harley-Davidson overseas to other countries. They’re on a drive to sign 100 dealers, and generally raise the brand’s profile here.
You can find more information on the company’s move towards becoming a major player here and on the international market in our coverage here. In the past few months, Royal Enfield has hired some big names, and they’re also working on new motorcycles to bring them into market segments they’ve previously ignored. Along the way, they’ve matched and passed Harley-Davidson sales — a fact the motorcycle media machine doesn’t seem to want to talk about.
