5 saal or 230 crore se zyada invest karne ke baad, TVS ka British brand Norton ko grand revival ka dream finally sach ho gaya hai. Norton ne 4 new models ko unveil kar diya hai, 2 or models 2026 ke second half mein reveal hone wale hai.
Sabse interesting baat yeh hai ki TVS ne 127 purani iss British brand ko wapas zinda karne ke liye jo route liya hai, woh kaafi unexpected hai Matlab, honestly, kisi ne socha bhi nahi hoga or dekho ab tak ke lineup mein retro styled bike nahi hai. haan, abhi tak toh nahi.
TVS ke chairman or MD, Sudarshan Venu ne bataya ki yeh decision bahut soch-samajh ke liya gaya tha. Unhone kaha, "Norton aisa brand hai jiska heritage or stories dono hi kamal ki hai. Humne socha ki is legacy ko ek modern method se aage le ja sakte hai, but saath hi Norton ke core values ko bhi intact rekhna bhi important tha. Hum Norton ka British character jaise dynamism, design or detailing ko maintain rekhein, or brand ka vision yahi hoga ki in sab elements ko modern or exclusive style mein aage carry forward kiya jaaye.
Ek example is exclusivity ka yeh hai ki Norton ke new bikes mein brand new engines diye gaye hai. Ek 1,200cc V4 or second Atlas mein parallel Twin offer kiya gaya hai. Jo Atlas ka engine hai wo bas architecture borrow karta hai 420cc parllel-twin engine se jo TVS ne BMW saath collaboration mein develop kiya hai, but in reality it's very different. Difference crankshaft or cylinder head design tak jate hai, aur iski capacity bhi kaafi zayada hai 585cc.
TVS chairman ne yeh baat clear kari hai saare Norton motorcycles ke apne unique engines or character honge. Torque or read ability pe kaafi focus rahega. yahi cheez Norton bikes ko different banayegi, saath hi advance electronics or ride aids bhi milenge. Yeh cheez V4 model mein clearly dikh jaati hai, jahan 130Nm ka segment leading torque milta hai or sabhi four models mein bigger 8-inch TFT display diya gaya hai.
Is sab ko smoothly chalane ke liye, TVS ne Norton ke Solihull facility mein ek full global team setup ki hai. Is team mein industry ke top experts hai jaise chief technical officer Brian Gillen, jo phele MV Agusta ke R&D head the. Saath hi TVS ke kuch experienced employess bhi hai. jaise Meghashyam Dighole or Manu Saxena.
Design head Simon Skinner abhi bhi apni old role mein hi continue karenge. Wo 2009 se yeh position handle kar rahe hai. ab brand ke new design philosophy Gerry McGovern ke guidance mein bana hai woh JLR design ke head hai or wahi jinhone new jaguar design identity ko bhi shape diya hai, jo kaafi buzz mein hai.
Skinner ne bataya ki latest Norton bikes ka main goal hai ek modern or design lana jahan "less is more." means zyada flashy cheezein nahi, par har detail or finish pe proper dhyaan diya gaya hai. Isi liye aapko yahan aerodynamic wings wagairah nahi milenge, rather clean or thoughtfully sculpted surface milenge.
Yeh new design philosophy starting mein thode mixed reaction le sakti hai. especially unn logo se jinke mind mein ek mixed image hai ki Norton bikes kaisi dikhni chahiye. but at the bikes look closely, toh bikes mein kaafi acchi detailing or premium material finishes diye gaye hai. Ab dekhna yeh hoga ki public iss new design direction par kaise react karti hai.
Jo most of the people like karenge, woh yeh ki new generation ke Norton bikes ab little bit reachable hogi. Phele wale V4 models ki price ek Ducati superbike se approx double hoti th, However, new manx models ka price kaafi competitive rakha gaya hai. or sabse interesting baat yeh hai ki Manx UK (United Kingdom) mein assemble hogi (jisme engine or kuch parts India se aayenge), but the Atlas range is manufactured in Hosur, Chennai. jisse price or bhi exciting ho sakta hai.
Company ka plan hai ki yeh vehicles 2026 ke first half tak USA, UK, Europe or India jaise key markets mein launch ho jayenge. Goal yeh hai ki globally 200+ touchpoints active ho, jismein se kaafi saare india mein hi honge. Inmein se kuch outlets sirf Norton ke liye honge, but kuch jagah par top-end TVS bikes bhi available honge. Jaisi new apache RTX 300 or X electric scooter.
Image Courtesy: EVO India