| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where did the brand begin? | England |
| Who owns it now? | Eicher Motors, an Indian company |
| Where is it headquartered? | Chennai, India |
| Where are the motorcycles made? | Four plants in India, plus assembly sites abroad |
Royal Enfield: the history in brief
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1901 | The Enfield Cycle Company of Redditch, England, builds the first Royal Enfield motorcycle. |
| 1932 | The Royal Enfield Bullet goes into production in England. |
| 1955 | The Redditch company and Madras Motors form Enfield India to assemble the 350cc Bullet under licence in Madras. |
| 1971 | The original English Royal Enfield company comes to an end. Production continues in India. |
| 1990 | Enfield India begins a collaboration with the Eicher Group. |
| 1994 | The business merges with Eicher. |
| 2013 | A new main factory opens at Oragadam, near Chennai. |
| 2024 | Eicher Motors sets up Royal Enfield Europe B.V. in the Netherlands. |
From Redditch to Chennai
Royal Enfield's story is unusual because the licensee outlived the original. The English company designed the Bullet and built it from 1932. In 1955 it partnered with Madras Motors to assemble the 350cc Bullet in India, and sold the factory tooling to the Indian venture, Enfield India.
The English company stopped trading in 1971. The Indian one kept building the same motorcycle. That unbroken run, first in England and then in India, is why Royal Enfield is described as the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production.
Who owns Royal Enfield today
Royal Enfield belongs to Eicher Motors Limited. Eicher Motors was incorporated in India in October 1982, has its registered office in New Delhi and its corporate office in Gurugram, and is listed on the Indian stock exchanges. Enfield India started working with the Eicher Group in 1990 and merged with it in 1994.
Motorcycles are Eicher Motors' whole direct business: its latest filing says they account for 100% of its own turnover, which was ₹22,700 crore for the year to March 2026. Eicher Motors also holds 54.40% of VE Commercial Vehicles, a truck and bus maker.
On the stock market Eicher Motors is a large-cap company. Its average market capitalisation for the first half of 2026 was ₹2.00 lakh crore.
Where Royal Enfield motorcycles are made
Eicher Motors lists four manufacturing plants in India, at Cheyyar, Oragadam, Vallam Vadagal and Tiruvottiyur. Outside India it has six assembly facilities run with local partners, which assemble motorcycles from kits, and one facility of its own in Thailand.
The company sells across all 28 Indian states and in more than 80 countries. Exports made up 12.3% of its turnover in the year to March 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Royal Enfield an Indian company?
Yes. It is owned by Eicher Motors, an Indian listed company, and headquartered in Chennai. The brand itself was born in England in 1901.
Is Royal Enfield British?
By origin, yes. The Enfield Cycle Company of Redditch, England, built the first Royal Enfield motorcycle in 1901. That company closed in 1971, and the brand has been Indian-run since.
Who is the owner of Royal Enfield?
Eicher Motors Limited. Royal Enfield merged with the Eicher Group in 1994.
Where is Royal Enfield manufactured?
At four plants in India: Cheyyar, Oragadam, Vallam Vadagal and Tiruvottiyur. Kits are also assembled at partner facilities in other countries and at a company-owned facility in Thailand.
Sources
- Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report 2025-26, Eicher Motors Limited, Eicher Motors, filed with the stock exchanges. nsearchives.nseindia.com. Accessed 11 October 2026. Incorporation, offices, plants, markets, exports, turnover and subsidiaries.
- Royal Enfield, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed 11 October 2026. Brand history from 1901, Enfield India and the merger with Eicher. Secondary source.
- Average market capitalisation of listed companies during the six months ended 30 June 2026, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). portal.amfiindia.com. Accessed 11 October 2026. Source of every market capitalisation figure and rank in this article.
