Norton holds the trademark to four motorcycle names in India, and the brand is expected to make its debut here in the near future
In April last year, TVS Motor Company had acquired UK-Based motorcycle manufacturer Norton. Now, according to a recent media report, TVS could be planning to launch the British brand in India. There is no clear timeline as to when Norton would debut in our market, but it is expected to happen in the near future.
Norton currently holds the trademark for four names in India – Norton Commando, Norton Altas, Norton Manx, and Norton Fastback. The manufacturer specialises in retro-themed, mid- to large-capacity motorcycles, ranging from 600cc to 1200cc. This makes it a natural competitor to Royal Enfield, which is currently planning to expand its lineup in the 350cc to 650cc range in the Indian market.
TVS isn’t the only Indian two-wheeler manufacturer with plans to capture the premium motorcycle market in India. Hero MotoCorp has partnered with Harley-Davidson and will be handling all its operations in India. Even Bajaj seems to have plans in that direction, and it had even filed a trademark for Excelsior-Henderson, a defunct US-based motorcycle brand, last year in India.
With Norton, TVS might be able to penetrate the premium motorcycle market space in India. However, Royal Enfield currently dominates that space, and TVS would have to work extremely hard to be able to break RE’s hold over the segment. It would be interesting to see what TVS has in store for us.
Currently, the biggest motorcycle in TVS’s lineup is the Apache RR 310, which was co-developed with BMW and shares its platform with BMW G310 R and G310 GS. It is powered by a 312.2cc, reverse-inclined, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. This motor is capable of generating a peak power of 34 PS and a maximum torque of 27.3 Nm, and comes paired to a 6-speed sequential gearbox.
As per speculations, TVS could also introduce an adventure motorcycle based on the same engine and platform as Apache RR 310, but there has been no official word on it. If true, this upcoming TVS adventure motorcycle would undercut BMW G310 GS and KTM Adventure 390, and thus become a value-for-money product.