Kinetic Norton joint venture to build Norton Motorcycles in India by end of 2018
Kinetic Group from India and Norton Motorcycle Company, UK have announced that they will jointly produce and sell Norton motorcycles in India. The two companies had made this announcement earlier this month at EICMA 2017 in Milan, Italy. Together, the company will form a new entity named Kinetic Norton, with the former holding a majority 51 per cent stake. Kinetic Norton will bring the Norton Commando and Norton Dominator models to India initially as CBUs from the UK in three months. Both motorcycles come powered by the same 961cc parallel twin engine. The JV will also bring assembly of the Norton motorcycle models to Kinetic MotoRoyale's plant in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra by the end of 2018. To ensure a smooth assembly process, Norton will also share intellectual property, design and technical know-how with Kinetic MotoRoyale.
With a 51 per cent majority stake in the partnership, Kinetic will also represent the exotic British motorcycle brand in Southeast Asia. Norton Motorcycles currently has three engines in its stable the 650cc, 961cc, and a 1,200cc V4. The 961cc air/oil-cooled parallel twin with fuel injection currently powers the Commando and Dominator. The engine produces 80PS / 90Nm on both motorcycles.
The Norton Dominator employs a truly unique build with the use of modern exotic carbon fiber and other materials while maintaining an air of old-school charm with its classic cafe racer styling. It is priced at around $ 29,000 (Rs 18.85 lakh approx).
The Norton Commando meanwhile, uses the same engine as the Dominator, but is a relatively more affordable package available in two styles - Cafe Racer, and Sport. The Commando's styling is inspired by its 1967 namesake. It is priced at around $ 20,000 (Rs 13 lakh approx).
Norton's latest model is the Norton V4 RR, a drool-worthy race-spec motorcycle developed at the Isle of TT circuit. It has full carbon fiber bodywork and comes powered by a mad 1,200cc V4 engine that produces 200-plus PS and 130Nm. This may come to India at a later stage as well.