A lot has been going on behind the scenes since the 2020 purchase of the historic Norton brand by Indian giant TVS Motor Co. We spoke to the mastermind behind the takeover about his strategy for international growth.
Make no mistake, TVS has deep pockets and important industry connections. Currently manufacturing almost four million two-wheelers annually at its Hosur HQ – for sale in India and the 70-plus different countries its products are exported to – TVS has also been associated with German giant BMW Motorrad since April 2013. So what are Sudarshan’s plans for Norton and his motivation to evolve this heritage brand?
Sudarshan, why did you buy Norton?
I believe that for TVS to purchase Norton provides a tremendous opportunity for us to bring this brand back to its former glorious status, but in a modern way. TVS is very focused on customer trust, product quality and advanced technology – these are key elements in the core essence of TVS, and the basis on which my father built this company. TVS always stands for putting the customer first, and I think there’s an opportunity for us with Norton to delight customers, and to enable them to have an enriching experience in line with the ethos and values of Norton.
Would you agree you got it for quite a fair price, £16 million to include the Norton trademark, and the three model platforms of the Commando 961, the 1200 V4 and the 650 twins?
Well, I think what we got at that time was a small operation but with the vital asset of the Norton trademark. But what we envisage is for Norton to become a genuinely world-class brand, and that is why we’ve already invested over £150 million so far, and are looking at close to £200 million of total investment to really bring this brand back to life, make it sustainable and take it into the future.
Is it true that after you acquired Norton, you personally rented Donington Park race circuit to go and ride the V4SV yourself?
I rented Mallory Park to ride all the Nortons! It gave me a chance to sample what I’d acquired!
How much of Norton’s future engineering development will be done in-house?
There are two aspects: design and engineering. The design will very largely be done in-house, inspired by and guided by Gerry McGovern (former BMW Motorrad CEO), and for engineering we’ve established a very good team led by Brian Gillen (a 17-year veteran of MV Agusta). If you look at our electric strategy, we have a vertically integrated technology stack. A lot of the vehicle software for the ECU controllers is done in-house, and of course on the engineering side we have a team of 1400 or so engineers. So TVS is really committed to doing its own engineering. That’s how we work on all our projects. It’s how we built up the BMW models we’re responsible for. Norton will be no different.
Given TVS’s electric capabilities, as proven by the work you’ve done with BMW, as well as with your best-selling iQube and TVS X e-scooters, will electric bikes become an increasing part of Norton’s range?
Absolutely. Electric will indeed be an increasing part of our operation, and that’s why we’ve invested so much in this sector – we have electric capability right from electric bicycles to three-wheelers.
So will an electric Norton be one of your six new models kicking off the Norton range under TVS ownership?
You’ll be the first to know when we’re ready to share it!
This is an abbreviated version of the full interview. To read the full version, subscribe to amcn.com.au
