Royal Enfield buys stake in electric start-up Stark Future

Royal Enfield is preparing for an electric future after its parent company purchased a sizeable stake in electric motorcycle start-up, Stark Future SL.

Eicher Motors Ltd., a leading Indian automotive company, and parent company of Royal Enfield, has invested €50 million (approx. $78 million AUD) into Spain-based Stark Future SL.

The investment gives Eicher a 10.35 per cent equity stake in Stark Future and a seat on its board. Eicher Motors CEO, Siddhartha Lal, said: "We love the vision, passion and focus of Anton Wass (Stark CEO) and the amazing team at Stark Future."

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Stark Future is a Swedish-born company now based in Spain that recently launched its first model, the innovative Stark VARG electric motocross machine.

The VARG promoted huge international demand, but global shipping delays and production issues have resulted in long wait times, with the first units yet to be delivered.

According to a press release, the investment by Eicher will “pave the way for a long-term partnership in collaborative research and development in electric motorcycles, technology sharing, technical licensing, and manufacturing.”

Both Royal Enfield and Stark Future will benefit from the strategic partnership, with Enfield offering years of experience as a leading motorcycle manufacturer in India, and Stark bringing innovative electric expertise and technology.

“We are very excited to closely collaborate with Stark Future who are as focused as we are on challenging norms, pushing the boundaries and building uniquely differentiated offerings for riders,” said Royal Enfield CEO, B Govindarajan.

“In addition to the sheer potential of Stark Future, we see immense synergies in this partnership,” Govindarajan continued. “While they are thought leaders in EV technology, particularly in light-weight components and innovative solutions, we at Royal Enfield will draw on these capabilities for developing our EV platforms and will also plan to share some EV platforms in the future.”

Royal Enfield’s model line-up is currently confined to affordable middleweight single-cylinder and parallel-twin machines that offer classic styling and rider-friendly performance. But the investment in Stark is proof that Eicher Motors understands the growing importance of electric motorcycles.

The press release from Eicher Motors stated that “Royal Enfield has made huge strides on its EV journey over the last few years” with “several ideas in advanced stages of testing”.

Royal Enfield is currently preparing to launch its latest offering, the Super Meteor 650.