Is TVS Planning To Buy Bankrupt Norton?

Post the Norton administration, Indian bikemaker TVS has acquired the British brand. We spoke with Sudarshan Venu, TVS’s Joint MD to understand how this partnership would impact Norton and TVS's future. Know all the details here. 

Over the past couple of decades, Norton has seen a couple of change in ownerships but all meeting a crippling end. Even its most recent owner, Stuart Garner, struggled to get the company moving as the brand ended up in administration in January this year. The brand is up for sale and amongst the many bidders, it is likely that TVS Motor Company is one.

According to a report, TVS is one of the interested parties seeking to add the British brand under its umbrella. By adding Norton to the family, TVS will gain valuable expertise in developing a multi-cylinder engine, something which is currently missing in its portfolio. This would also help TVS expand its position into the premium market.

When we reached out to TVS on the matter, the company responded with this quote, “This query is speculative in nature and as per our policy the TVS Group does not comment on any market speculations.”

It remains to be seen what happens to Norton’s previous ventures with Chinese company Zongshen, who were responsible for building the engine for the Atlas adventure bike, and also with its Indian partner Kinetic. Thankfully, TVS’s technological partnership with BMW Motorrad should not be affected in any way if the Norton purchase goes through. The Indo-Bavarian ties were based on BMW designing and engineering the motor while TVS would build it for them at a reasonable price.

Source