TVS confirms Norton expansion and new models

Indian owners reveal 450cc twins will join international version of 1200cc V4 superbike

It’s been more than five years now since Norton’s controversial era under the stewardship of Stuart Garner came to a dramatic conclusion – the brand falling into administration in January 2020 – and a more hopeful period began with Indian giant TVS acquiring key elements of the business in April the same year. Since then Norton has remained relatively quiet and concentrated on reengineering the 1200cc V4 platform to become the V4SV superbike and V4CR café racer while the ancient Commando 961 plodded on in the background. Now TVS’s managing director has shone light onto a more ambitious future for the company including a new focus on exports and a range of more affordable models that will be made – at least in part – in India.

Norton India is due to launch before the end of this year, and between its bases in the UK and India the company intends to create a six-bike product range, kicking off with an international version of the V4 superbike, which is currently only approved to be sold and used in the UK under single-vehicle approval rules that are really aimed at backyard bike makers rather than ‘real’ manufacturers. To be sold, as Norton plans, in four additional European markets – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – as well as in India, the V4 needs to undergo and pass Euro5+ type-approval testing, and with that we can expect to see some substantial changes in the 2026 version that’s to be unveiled at EICMA this year.

Speaking to Indian TV station CNBC-TV18, TVS’s managing director, Sudarshan Venu, said four of the six new models will be in the 2026 model range: “So this is where I think we are heading towards – by starting off with the launch of the four-cylinder superbike at EICMA and then we will also share the remaining three products at EICMA or soon after, which will be available in the market early 2026. They’re all in advanced stages of development. I think we have a good leadership team now at Norton with the two executive directors, Nevijo Mance and Richard Arnold. Supporting them are very good designers, engineers, and a lot of homegrown talent from TVS in India, which I think brings a great mix in terms of the Britishness and the uniqueness of Norton while leveraging the capabilities of TVS and also offering opportunities for our talent to grow.”

He went on to say that manufacturing will take place in both the UK and India, with the flow of components and kit parts aided by a newly-established free trade agreement between the two nations. And in terms of numbers, Norton will grow substantially, with Venu confirming: “ We will start with a capacity of close to 10,000 vehicles and with the four models going up to six models. “

Of those bikes, some are expected to be powered not by Norton’s existing engines but using a derivative of the new 450cc parallel twin developed by BMW for its upcoming F450 GS. TVS already partners with BMW to manufacture the 310cc single used in the G310 range and TVS’s own bikes, and went on to cooperate with the development and manufacturing of electric scooters. Venu said: “I think we did first the single cylinder, the 310 family. Then came the EV, and now is the two-cylinder family, which BMW has shown their version at last year’s EICMA. And you will see Norton and TVS versions using a similar platform in the coming months. So that is where I think the relationship is headed.”

One or more 450cc models will give Norton the chance to compete against the likes of Triumph’s Street 400 and Scrambler 400X, which are both proving to be best-sellers for the UK’s leading motorcycle brand.

The post TVS confirms Norton expansion and new models appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.