No Diesel

There had been some speculation last year, when Enfield announced it was coming up with new models, that a Diesel would be in the lineup. That never made a lot of sense to me. Enfield is positioning itself as a niche manufacturer, catering to the large emergent middle class in India, and perhaps increasing the export market. Such clients are not interested in Diesel motorcycles. Sure, there is a micro-niche of ecological enthusiasts out there who might be interested (heck, even I am driving a plug in Prius these days!). But their numbers are small. These are very different days from when the Indian economy was closed, Enfield was the almost the only bike in the market. People then wanted to eke out more fuel economy out of the bike by going diesel,  even with the underpowered engine the Taurus had. Today there are tons of very fuel efficient bikes in India without the need to go Diesel. Now the CEO essentially confirms my views.