Five years after TVS Motor acquired the iconic British motorcycle brand, Norton Motorcycles, the company has deemed it fit to finally launch it in India. The company has revealed an estimate time frame for Norton Motorcycles to launch in India to rival other retro classic motorcycle brands like Royal Enfield, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Jawa and Yezdi among others.
Norton Motorcycles India Launch
The iconic British motorcycle brand, Norton Motorcycles, has been a popular choice among buyers who are looking for a retro treat. Currently, the company offers three motorcycles – Commando 961, V4SV and V4CR. The prices for these motorcycles range from around Rs 20 lakh and Rs 50 lakh.
Norton Motorcycles was acquired by TVS Motor around five years ago and it has been a highly anticipated launch since this acquirement. Now, TVS Motor has confirmed that Norton Motorcycles will be introduced in India by the end of the year 2025. Probably via the CBU route, now that India-UK free trade agreement is expected to bring automotive tariffs from 100% to 10%, under a quota.
These three aforementioned motorcycles might launch initially through CBU route and serve as Halo products for Norton Motorcycles in India to set foot in the ground. These will be shipped into our market from the company’s facility in Solihull, UK. Soon, we should expect local manufacturing of smaller-capacity motorcycles to compete in the 350cc-450cc motorcycle segment.
What to expect?
Speculations suggest that Norton Motorcycles is branching out its operations and is developing two new platforms. One of these will displace around 450cc (probably a single-cylinder unit) which should act as its most affordable offering. Second motorcycle could be a middle-weight offering that might displace around 650cc (probably a twin-cylinder unit).
With the historic India-UK FTA (Free Trade Agreement), both nations are poised to boost trade and revenue. This FTA will benefit British automakers too as tariffs could be reduced to just 10% down from around 100%. While the small-capacity motorcycles look like a foggy future, the launch of Commando 961 or V4SV or V4CR or all or some by 2025 end is more likely.
TVS Motor acquired Norton Motorcycles for around Rs 153 Cr, which looks like a relatively small sum in the grand scheme of things. There has been a significant investment of around Rs 1,000 Cr from TVS and the roadmap is set to launch six new motorcycles by 2027 end.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
