Norton was once the pride of Britain’s motorcycling scene; an icon of cafe racer cool and hand-built engineering. But like many heritage brands, it hit rough times. That is, until TVS Motor Company stepped in. The Indian two-wheeler giant acquired the beleaguered company in 2020, rescuing it from collapse and setting the stage for one of the most ambitious motorcycle brand revivals in recent history.
It’s a story we’ve seen before. British automotive brands struggling to stay afloat, only to find new life under Indian ownership. Royal Enfield is now a global powerhouse, thanks to Eicher Motors. Jaguar and Land Rover? Revitalized by Tata. Even Triumph, still proudly British on the surface, now shares deep ties with India through Bajaj. There’s a growing pattern here: India and the UK are becoming industrial bedfellows, and nowhere is this co-dependence clearer than in the auto sector.
Now, that relationship is official. India and the UK have just signed a sweeping Free Trade Agreement that dramatically cuts tariffs on British-made cars and motorcycles from a punishing 110 percent to just 10 percent. It’s a move that not only deepens bilateral ties but could reshape how high-end vehicles are priced and positioned in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
The automotive sector stands to gain the most. And with timing that feels anything but coincidental, Norton is preparing its official India debut. The brand’s first new model since the TVS acquisition will be unveiled on November 4, 2025. But that’s just the start. TVS is also developing a new sub-500cc Norton platform designed specifically for India and other emerging markets. Six models are in the pipeline, all to be built in India.
The bigger bikes, like the V4SV, V4CR, and Commando, will continue to be manufactured at Norton’s Solihull facility in the UK. But thanks to the FTA, they’ll now enter India as CBUs with dramatically lower duties, making them far more attainable for premium motorcycle buyers.
Clearly, Norton is no longer just a passion project, and it’s shaping up to be so much more than just a feather in TVS’ cap. It’s becoming a diplomatic tool. At the FTA signing ceremony, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally toured Norton’s motorcycle lineup, joined by TVS CEO Sudarshan Venu. That’s not a casual photo op. That’s two world leaders and a major Indian industrialist using motorcycles to symbolize economic progress.
And that progress is very real. India is no longer just a cheap manufacturing base for foreign brands. It’s increasingly calling the shots—designing, engineering, and exporting world-class vehicles under brands that were once considered British icons. The Norton story is just one example, but it represents a broader shift in global manufacturing power.
With a prototype V4 superbike already in testing and small-displacement models in development, Norton’s second life under TVS is shaping up to be a serious one. The fact that it was part of a high-level diplomatic meeting shows just how far the brand has come—and how central premium motorcycles have become to India’s global manufacturing ambitions.
Needless to say, it’s a story worth paying attention to. And hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, we enthusiasts from all over the world will reap the rewards, too.
Sources: Acko Drive, Norton Motorcycles
