Norton Motorcycles seem to be well on its way to make its brand debut in India by the end of 2025. The company has filed a trademark for the name “Norton Electra” in which could well be the name of one of the upcoming models. The “Electra” trademark was filed in October 2024, and it could well be one of the models to be introduced under the Norton Motorcycles brand. What could be the Norton Electra, and what can we expect from Norton Motorcycles, and from its parent company, TVS?
Also Read: Can TVS Shake Up Royal Enfield’s Grip With Norton Motorcycles?
Norton is expected to launch the V4SV superbike in India later this year.
Norton’s India Launch
What we know for certain is that the British brand will make its India debut, first with a 1,200 cc V4 superbike, followed by smaller models, ranging from 450 cc to 961 cc. For now, we can only speculate on the segments and products which will be launched under the Norton brand. The flagship V4 platform, followed by the 961 Commando models are the usual suspects, as well as a new and improved 650 cc parallel-twin platform, which was originally scrapped in 2022, and had two models, the Atlas Ranger and Atlas Nomad.
Also Read: Norton Motorcycles To Launch Two Models In 2025
The Norton V4CR is the brand’s flagship super naked.
While Norton’s India plans are in the pipeline, the brand’s parent company TVS is looking at simultaneously launching the brand across Europe, in as many as five countries. In a recent interview with CNBC-TV18, Sudarshan Venu, Managing Director of TVS Motor Company, outlined the Norton brand’s plans – for India and overseas.
Also Read: Exclusive – Norton Motorcycle Working On Two New Platforms
TVS Managing Director Sudarshan Venu says at least four models will be launched for the first half of 2026.
“Norton will launch towards the end of this year and will start phasing in the products towards the end of this year and early next year. I think I mentioned six products before, four of which will be available for the summer of 2026 in the four European markets of UK, plus France, Germany, Spain and Italy, and of course, in India. So, this is where we’re heading towards, by starting off with the launch of the four-cylinder superbike at EICMA, and then we will also share the remaining three products at EICMA or soon after, which will be available in the market in early 2026,” Sudarshan Venu said in a recent media interaction.
Also Read: Norton Motorcycles To Launch Six New Products
Norton Motorcycles will be positioned as a premium brand.
Premium Brand Positioning
As for brand positioning, from what we understand is that Norton may not focus on mass-market, single-cylinder products below 450 cc, at least for now. The idea is to keep the brand’s positioning premium and aspirational, and this is where it will try to differentiate itself from Royal Enfield. What that possibly implies is that products under the Norton brand will cater to a niche customer base and may not necessarily go neck and neck with Royal Enfield, in terms of engine sizes and customer profiles.
“We will start with the 1,200 cc. We will have other smaller offerings as well. But we will draw a line on how we ensure we keep Norton premium, keep it in the luxury space and also offer bikes that are uniquely differentiated and uniquely Norton,” added Venu.
Also Read: Opinion – What Does The India-UK FTA Mean For Norton Motorcycles?
The 450 cc parallel-twin engine jointly developed by TVS and BMW Motorrad will also be used in Norton and TVS models.
Shared Engine Platform
The partnership with BMW Motorrad will continue and after the success of the 310 cc platform, and the electric platform used in the BMW CE 02, the next big thing from the partnership will be the 450 cc parallel-twin mid-size platform. Last year, BMW Motorrad showcased its adventure concept, and it will only be a matter of time before TVS employs the shared platform in its own product line-up, as well as in Norton’s future product strategy.
The BMW F 450 GS Concept was showcased at the EICMA 2024 with a 450 cc parallel-twin engine.
“We first did the single-cylinder, the 310 family, then came the EV, and now the two-cylinder family, which BMW has shown their version at last year’s EICMA. And you will see Norton and TVS versions using similar platform in the coming months,” Venu replied to a question about the future of the partnership with BMW Motorrad.
Norton Electra?
Some readers will remember the Royal Enfield Electra, essentially a Royal Enfield “Bullet” from the late 1990s with the 350 cc cast iron engine which swapped out the CB points ignition for a then “advanced” electronic CDI ignition, which made maintenance and kick-starting problems a thing of the past. The Electra was followed by one of Royal Enfield’s first models in the domestic market with a traditional left-hand-side gear shifter, with a 5-speed gearbox, called the Electra 5S. It could be argued that the Electra 5S started Royal Enfield on a growth trajectory which continues till today. But the Norton Electra traces its roots to several decades before the RE Electra.
The Norton Electra name was trademarked in October 2024.
So, how does the Norton Electra fit into the picture of the contemporary Norton Motorcycles brand? Will it be an all-new product based on an all-new platform, or will the Electra be something which will showcase Norton’s technology and advancements in a completely new direction? The original Norton Electra was produced from 1963 to 1965 and powered by a 400 cc twin-cylinder engine and was part of a family of three smaller capacity twin-cylinder motorcycles, including the Norton Jubilee and Norton Navigator.
The “new” Norton Electra could well be one of the most accessible models from the brand in the 21st century and possibly based on the 450 cc parallel-twin engine developed in collaboration with BMW Motorrad. Whether there will be more Norton models to utilise the same platform is something which will be revealed only after the brand launch, perhaps towards the end of the year, either at EICMA 2025, or even later in the year at the 2025 TVS MotoSoul festival.
New Brand Identity?
But what’s more interesting is the trademark of new logo designs for the Norton brand with the European Intellectual Property office. Compared to the classic Norton logo with the cursive text, the new logo uses a more modern and contemporary design. While purists may scoff at the choice and design of the new logo, one possibility is an entire new direction of a sub-brand which will focus on electric vehicles.
Will Norton also have an EV arm to take on Royal Enfield’s Flying Flea? Or is the new logo designed to give the brand a new and modern identity with some rather obvious links to Norton’s current parentage? Either way, the second half of 2025 promises to be an interesting chapter for Indian motorcycling history. We can’t wait to see what possibilities Norton, and TVS are working on to surprise motorcyclists, here in India, and around the world.
