Despite being owned by an Indian company, Royal Enfield retains strong ties with its British past, and in 2015 the foundations were laid for its new UK Technology Centre (UKTC) in Leicestershire. Now fully operational, the ultra-modern facility sits within Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds, the largest privately owned vehicle test track in the UK, making vehicle development, engineering and testing much easier. And if the landscape looks familiar, that’s because the location was often used for the hit television show Top Gear.
Spread over two floors and 3000m2, the UKTC acts as the innovative hub and global headquarters for product strategy, product development, industrial design, research, program management and analysis for Royal Enfield. It also boasts state-of-the-art equipment and modern workshops including an industrial design studio, spray shop, model shop and metalwork and parts store. The design studio has variable-height modelling platforms and a suite of workshop facilities so most model preparation can be done in house. There’s also a 470m2 engine test building that houses the latest dynamometers and emissions testing equipment.
The 125-strong team is working on multiple projects including future products and platforms. The first modern Royal Enfield 650cc twin-cylinder engine and the new range of models it powers was developed jointly by the teams at UKTC and in its equivalent R&D centre in Chennai, India. Plans are now underway for a new Chennai plant based on the Bruntingthorpe model, but four times bigger.
