TVS might acquire Norton motorcycles
Norton Motorcycles, the legendary British motorcycle marque, had run into deep financial troubles in January 2020 after the company failed to pay taxes to the British government. Gone into administration, Norton is being liquidated by advisory firm BDO Global who has said that they have been in talks with a few potential buyers, one of them being the Indian motorcycle manufacturer, TVS.
After Bajaj's acquisition of KTM and Husqvarna and its latest partnership with Triumph and Hero's possible partnership with Harley-Davidson, it seems that TVS is also looking to get a premium brand on board, along with their existing partner BMW, to expand their horizons into premium motorcycling. It seems that TVS is interested in buying out Norton along with its brand, assets and liabilities which come with the latest state-of-the art V4 RR, the Dominator and the Commando series of motorcycles.
Given Norton's old-school charm, TVS could gain the much-needed retro credibility in a market where retro is being accepted as the new cool. A Dominator or Commando-based cruiser in the 300cc segment can turn out to be good competition to the Royal Enfield monopoly. Also, the latest Norton V4 supersport gels well with the motorsport heritage of TVS.
The latest issue of beleaguered Norton CEO, Stuart Garner selling off the 961 engine and tooling rights to a Chinese company just before the interlocutor's possession of assets in January, if true, might turn out to be tricky if TVS is looking for a complete buyout and not just the brand name.
