Himalayan 450 vs 411 – sales comparison table shows that, while the 450 has been received well, it is well short of the 411’s numbers…
Royal Enfield ventured in a completely new realm with the brand new Himalayan 450 which was based on a fresh new platform. Not only did the company surprised everybody by offering a very modern offering its specs were comparable with the best in the industry.
And there is no denying the fact that it is, in most parameters, a much much better motorcycle than the 411. But…. there was a problem. All of the new tech and latest specs came at a price – which meant that there is no direct comparison between both the motorcycles. While the 411 played in the near 2 Lakh bracket, the 450 is a much more premium Rs 3 Lakh play!
While the 411 was an offering targeted at bikers who wanted a beginner friendly almost an entry level ADV with easy-going ability, the 450 is a much more powerful and costly ADV – which is more of a graduate-to bike. So, has there been a mistake in planning? Let us quickly look at the sales data of the Himalayan. Deliveries of the 450 began around December which means the 2023 numbers mentioned below correspond to the older 411 whereas the 2024 numbers are for the 450!
Himalayan 450 vs 411 – Sales Comparison
| Month | 2023 | 2024 |
| April | 3521 | 2917 |
| May | 4064 | 3314 |
| June | 3255 | 3062 |
| July | 3171 | 2769 |
| August | 3856 | 2099 |
As you can see, in each of the month of this financial year, the new Himalayan has sold lesser units than the older one. August has been the worst month for the brand with the price gap widening to almost half. In overall numbers, the new Himalayan has sold almost 4000 lesser units (3706 to be precise) than the older model. Mind you, these are just this fiscal’s numbers and if we add up the complete tally, it would be more.
While these are not bad numbers for a motorcycle costing around Rs 3 Lakh but clearly, in comparison to the older model, this is an indicator that higher price is playing to its disadvantage, despite all the positives.
OPINION: Why is Yezdi Adventure Still a Flop Despite RE Leaving This Segment?
OPINION
I have been vocal in my opinion that while the new Himalayan 450 is a brilliant move, it takes Royal Enfield away from the reach of a lot of bikers. It is quite natural because it is placed in a price segment which has a lot lesser buyers than the Rs 2 Lakh segment.
A very apt solution to this should have been – Royal Enfield should have kept the original 411 on sale – may be with even lesser features at just under that Rs 2 Lakh mark. And then the 450 with all the bells and whistles comes in at its current prices.
This would have meant that the broadened Himalayan portfolio would have taken care of the entry level ADV buyers as well as the slightly more experienced ones – almost a sureshot mantra for higher sales – than the last year’s numbers. Do you agree…?
