Founded in 1898, Norton Motorcycles is now owned by TVS Motor Company of India
Norton, the famed British premium motorcycle brand which ceased production late last year due to financial crisis, has been acquired by TVS Motor Company in an all-cash transaction valued at 16 million pounds (INR 153 crore). Norton Motorcycles was in administration before the Indian two wheeler giant purchased it.
Speaking about the acquisition, Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director, TVS Motor Company said, “Norton is an iconic British brand celebrated across the world and presents us with an immense opportunity to scale globally… We will extend our full support for Norton to regain its full glory in the international motorcycle landscape.” He also added that TVS will work closely with the British brand to bring back the days of success.
The Indian mass market two wheeler maker is confident that Norton can take advantage of synergies between the brands and expand to new global markets using its new parent’s global reach and supply chain capabilities. Owning a heritage-rich British brand whose history stretches back as far as 1898 would improve TVS’ overall brand appeal in the global markets.
Without elaborating much, TVS has revealed that it will get Norton back up and running. We expect the liquidity infusion to get Norton’s Donington Hall factory up and running once the COVID-19 situation is resolved in the UK. Select Norton Motorcycles have been on sale in India, via Kinetic Motoroyale. Considering that TVS will be using their own network to sell Norton in the future, the deal between Kinetic Motoroyale and Norton Motorcycles might be ceased.
Before entering administration, Norton Motorcycles retailed products that catered to the premium end of the superbike market. The flagship V4 RR supersports model is powered by a 1,200 cc V4 engine which has over 200 hp and 130 Nm of torque on store. With exclusivity and British craftsmanship as its strong selling points, the motorcycle commands a premium over most other rivals with comparable performance specifications.
On the more affordable spectrum (still premium by global standards) are the Dominator scrambler and Commando cafe racer. Both motorcycles employ a 961 cc parallel-twin oil-cooled engine.
Norton’s immediate focus under the new ownership is to resume the production of its existing motorcycles and support its customer base. With TVS’ financial backing, the luxury sportsbike marque is expected to come up with new derivatives of its existing product platforms in the medium term and all-new models in the long term.
The global reach of Indian two wheeler brands has been spreading steadily for the past several years. Bajaj has KTM and Husqvarna brands under its umbrella while TVS has partnered with BMW to explore synergies in the medium displacement segment. Hero has established a two wheeler plant in Colombia to cater to the Latin American region.