Marking a significant recognition—and affirmation of the brand’s design-first ethos and quiet disruption of category conventions—Flying Flea, the city+ mobility brand endorsed by Royal Enfield, wins the prestigious Red Dot Award for its classic-styled, Flying Flea C6, under the ‘Design Concept’ category.
The first of the Flying Flea product lineup, FF.C6, is inspired by the original Royal Enfield Flying Flea motorcycle of the 1940s, a landmark in automotive engineering and design. Though it was purpose-built for use during WWII, these amazing machines were airdropped via parachute to provide lightweight, easy-to-use all-terrain mobility. This lightness, agility and adaptability return with the Flying Flea brand, a bridge between the past and the future.
Commenting on the milestone, Sivakumar S, Head – Industrial Design, Flying Flea and Royal Enfield Electric Vehicles, added, “Flying Flea was born from the conviction that design is the very essence of how we think, create, and connect. And the FF.C6 is about carrying an incredible story forward through its design language, a balance brought to life by our industrial design and product development teams. Every line and every detail of the FF.C6 is a deliberate expression of that belief—where tradition meets future, and technology serves emotion as much as function. To see our vision recognized with the Red Dot Award is both an honor and an encouragement, and it reinforces our path: building machines that inspire all of us to live lightly and redefine how people experience City+ mobility.”
Fusing tradition and innovation seamlessly, the FF.C6 has a minimalist silhouette that features a floating saddle and headlamp, true-round display, teardrop tank, and an artistic high-tensile frame. The forged aluminium frame’s signature bent stroke shoots dynamically into the rear swing arm, creating tension to express strength and fluidity. This unique frame architecture, built as an industry-defying exoskeleton, supports agility and poise while embracing the compact powertrain for a smart, nimble ride. The motorcycle’s magnesium-cased battery features functional fins evocative of a seamless fusion between tradition and innovation. The dynamic front fins, arranged in odd sequences, symbolise forward-thinking technology, while the elegant rear fins, placed in even sequences, reflect heritage and legacy. These two elements twist and converge into a graceful wing-shaped motif at the centre, a powerful representation of the brand’s spirit.
The girder fork is a highlight of mechanical elegance. A modern take on historical suspension, showcasing exposed engineering and clean lines. It enhances tactile feedback and offers a direct, connected riding experience. With integrated lighting and seamless cable routing, the FF.C6 preserves visual purity in every detail, from its frame stroke and battery fins to the fork’s mechanical elegance, designed to spark an emotional bond with riders who Live Lightly. Its purposeful architecture also brings non-intimidating electric mobility to a broader demographic.
Earlier this year, the brand launched a cultural campaign rooted in creativity and design, one that prioritises interpretation over information. At Salone del Mobile 2025, Flying Flea unveiled Motototem, a unique art piece by LA-based multidisciplinary artist Mattia Biagi, blending the worlds of design and mobility. Building on this vision, Flying Flea is also collaborating with Paris’ École Duperré—one of the world’s foremost design and applied arts schools—where creative minds reimagined the brand’s ethos through curated installations, handcrafted fashion, and experimental storytelling. The next chapter of this collaboration will unfold on an even grander stage at the upcoming Paris Design Week 2025. Together, these initiatives blur the lines between automobile, sculpture, fashion, and installation, evolving the motorcycle into a powerful emblem of cultural expression.
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About Flying Flea
Flying Flea, endorsed by Royal Enfield, is the new city+ mobility brand that is created to explore a new dimension of mobility – one that is smart, lightweight and sophisticated. Operating at the intersection of design, cutting-edge technology and lifestyle, Flying Flea is all set to usher in a new era for city+ mobility with its category-defining smart products in the global mobility space and beyond.
Drawing inspiration from the iconic 1940 Royal Enfield Flying Flea motorcycle, an engineering marvel that was purpose-built to be air-dropped by parachute, Flying Flea is built to deliver a smart, nimble and agile ride experience for a new generation of riders that are connected, design-aware and ready to embrace the future of city+ mobility. A sophisticated mix between authentic design and cutting-edge technology, it will launch its first products, the classic-styled FF.C6, followed by the scrambler-styled FF.S6, by early 2026.
The Flying Flea team boasts a class-leading team of more than 200+ engineers in the UK and India, allowing the team to develop its own motor, battery, BMS and custom software for its line of connected electric vehicles. With more than 45 patent applications filed for native and connected applications, end-to-end technology for the Flying Flea has been developed in-house, in partnership with industry-leading experts and brands at the Flying Flea Technology Center. The brand has set up an exclusive Flying Flea manufacturing space within Royal Enfield’s manufacturing facility at Vallam Vadagal.
For further information please contact: [email protected]
About Red Dot Design Award
The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world. The competition is divided into three disciplines in order to be able to properly assess the diversity in the field of design:
- Red Dot Award: Product Design
- Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design
- Red Dot Award: Design Concept
The Red Dot Design Award looks back on almost 70 years of history: in 1955, a jury came together for the first time to assess the best designs of the time. In the 1990s, Red Dot CEO Professor Dr Peter Zec developed the name and brand of the award. Since then, the coveted “Red Dot” distinction has been the internationally recognised seal of outstanding design quality.
For more information, log into https://www.red-dot.org/award
