Explained: Why Royal Enfield can't sell Himalayan in Delhi

Royal Enfield launched the Himalayan yesterday at a price of Rs. 1.55 lakh (ex-Maharashtra). The motorcycle has been registered in every state of India and will be available in phased manner. 

When Royal Enfield released the bike's details yesterday (link), they also provided the on-road prices of the bike in various cities, including Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Navi Mumbai. The price in Delhi however, was conspicuous with its absence. Why? The reason cited is that the Himalayan isn't BS-IV compliant and isn't getting the green light for customer registrations.

BS-IV norms for two-wheelers have been set and will be effective from April 2016 for newly introduced models and April 2017 for existing models. The Himalayan is a new model and while it technically isn't past the April 2016 deadline, it looks like the launch was a little too close for comfort for the Delhi government and the National Green Tribunal (NGT). One likely reason is the fact that customer deliveries will take place very close to or after the April 1, 2016 deadline, even though the bike has been launched ahead of it.

The NCR region however, is unaffected and bikes can be booked from showrooms in the region. Dealers in Delhi will have the bike on display, but cannot accept bookings until the matter has been resolved. Given below is the official statement from Mr Siddhartha Lal - MD & CEO Eicher Motors Ltd.

"The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been registered across all states in India and will be available across the country in a phased manner. In Delhi as of now the Himalayan is not being registered as the NGT decision came in last minute. It is available in NCR for test rides and bookings We are working with the authorities to resolve this situation along with several other manufacturers who are facing the same issue"