Tata Motors acquiring Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in 2008, and Mahindra buying BSA Motorcycles in 2021. The trend of Indian OEMs acquiring iconic British automotive brands is becoming prominent. TVS maintained the same trend when it took over Norton Motorcycles back in 2022 which has been struggling for many years.
While the Hosur-based management is working tirelessly to bring Norton back on track, there isn’t a clear roadmap for the British brand for its supposed future in India, until now. It now seems almost confirmed that Norton will embark on a new journey in the Indian market sometime in the near future.
TVS-owned Norton in India
As per the latest development, Norton will launch as many as six all-new models in selected markets, including India, in the next three years. The first of these models will make its debut in 2025. As per the media release shared by Norton, this model is expected to go on sale in India shortly after its international debut.
The report further reveals that the new models will not be based on the 650cc Atlas or Nomad which were showcased in 2018. Like the global-spec models, the upcoming six new models from Norton will follow the company’s new philosophy of Design, Dynamism and Detail. Venu also confirmed that Norton will be positioned as a premium brand.
But before Norton sets its foot in India, it is imperative that TVS addresses some key challenges. For instance, most of the Norton models are heavily overpriced as compared to other mainstream models. Further, TVS had to sort out some major engineering flaws in its existing product lineup ever since it took over which has incurred heavy costs and time. In a show of good customer service, TVS also addressed existing customer issues, even though it wasn’t legally obligated to do so.
Assuming anything at this point will be nothing short of far fetched assumption, but from what seems plausible, the India-spec Nortons will be more affordable than the current line up while still retaining the premium positioning what TVS intends for Norton in India.
