Norton bikes will be available in India after April: TVS Motor's Venu

Venu talks about the road ahead, the journey of its 127-year-old global premium brand Norton Motorcycles, its India launch, and electric vehicle plans

Sudarshan Venu took charge as chairman and managing director of TVS Motor in August. In one of his first media interactions after becoming the chairman, Venu talks to Shine Jacob about the road ahead, the journey of its 127-year-old global premium brand Norton Motorcycles, its India launch, and electric-vehicle plans. Edited excerpts.

 

It is five years since you acquired Norton. Can you elaborate on its resurgence strategy and global marketing road map?

 

The brand stands for core values of design, dynamism, and detail. With its potential and with our capability, we could create the world’s most desirable motorcycle. That is the vision for Norton. In line with this strategy, we have created a world-class team supported by the engineering and manufacturing strengths of TVS Motor. This, along with its own unique engineering, design capabilities, marketing, and leadership, can develop this brand into a success globally.

 

That is the vision and direction for Norton and we have invested £250 million. We have also brought experts like Richard Arnold and Nevijo Mance into the leadership team.

 

How many products are you planning?

 

We have planned six products, four of which you will see at EICMA (Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo e Motociclo) in Milan and two in 2026. There will be a four-cylinder, state-of-the-art product with 130 Nm (newton meter), which will be called Manx, Manx R. These are historic Norton brands that stood for road racing. It will also be agile with a short wheelbase.

 

The second is the rugged bike Atlas, which is also a premium bike from the past. We are creating Atlas as a modern, luxury, and cutting-edge all-round bike with two cylinders. Atlas will be reimagined in a modern way.

 

Will you look at electric vehicles (EVs) too? You had acquired Swiss electric company EGO Movement.

 

We have done an EV demonstrator. This segment is still largely internal combustion engine-driven. In the future, we will consider an EV. EGO is an electric-bicycle business and will not be related to Norton’s EV plans.

 

What will be the role of TVS Motor’s research and development centre and manufacturing facility in India?

 

We are producing the four-cylinder at the dedicated British plant of Norton. We will produce other models, two-cylinder, in India. We will leverage the global capabilities in engineering and manufacturing of TVS. At the same time, through the centre in Italy and in the United Kingdom, and the plant in the United Kingdom, we will build capabilities that are unique to Norton. There is a different class and category of vehicles for this brand.

 

Can we say Atlas will be made in India? When can your products be available for Indian consumers?

 

Atlas will be made in India. It will be a global brand, with global products and a global supply chain. Components can come from somewhere, and some products can come from another place. The focus is on a global brand and global attraction for the product. Today, all global brands are made in India.

 

Our products will be available just after April next year for Indian customers and global customers. We will be starting with the Manx, which is the V4, and Atlas will come soon after that.

 

You had a great curtain raiser early this year, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer posed with your products after the trade deal with the United Kingdom. What is your view on the trade deal?

 

The Indian government has opened up a lot of opportunities for us to access global markets like continental Europe, the United Kingdom, West Asia, and Australia. Certainly, for vehicles like Norton, which are more premium and luxury, this is beneficial. The trade deal will also benefit the Norton four-cylinders coming to India and benefits the whole economy of our country through improved market access.

 

What will be your pricing strategy and how will you plan its retail road map?

 

Norton is a luxury brand at the top end. I think the product is extremely unique and differentiated for Norton values. It has unique agility in handling and has a lot of electronics and safety, which are part of the Norton values. It will be priced in a way that reflects the unique nature of the product.

 

We are looking for a differentiated retail system. In Europe also, Norton will have its own distribution, with some common TVS dealers possibly included. In India, we are looking at a retail experience different from the current TVS ecosystem, exclusively for Norton. It may be fine if some of them can be combined with high-end TVS vehicles.