
TVS’ revival of the Norton brand has been going swimmingly so far, with the brand already launching two of their motorcycles in Europe, the Manx R, and recently the Atlas. The Manx and Manx R share the platform as the brand’s flagship motorcycles, while the Atlas uses a 585cc twin-cylinder engine and is completely built in India. It now seems like the brand might be expanding its portfolio, thanks to its new trademark applications.
- Norton currently sells two motorcycles in Europe: Manx R and Atlas.
- Two more have been revealed but haven’t been launched yet; Manx and Atlas GT.
- Norton’s Indian entry is on the cards, with the Atlas expected to be the first.
Two products launched in Europe, Indian launches pending
The UK based manufacturer has recently trademarked three new names: International (also referred to as Inter in some places), Avelon and Roven. These could be upcoming motorcycles from the brand, but we currently don’t have any more details as to what kind, or a possible timeline for any of them. This isn’t the first time the brand has been noted for trademarking names though. Back in 2020, we reported that Norton had trademarked six names: Combat, Electra, Fastback, Navigator, Nomad and Ranger. These applications were filed shortly after TVS took over the brand so at that time, the names were thought to indicate the first set of products from the rejuvenated legacy manufacturer. Six years later, and Norton still hasn’t used these names, so the trademarks by themselves don’t necessarily reveal anything concrete.
Currently, the brand’s UK website lists four motorcycles: Manx R, Atlas, Manx and Atlas GT – of which the first two are on sale. The Manx R starts at GBP 20,250 (Rs 25.73 lakh) and the Atlas starts at GBP 8,250 (Rs 10.57 lakh). The Manx R did its job very well in re-introducing the brand to the world. Our first ride impressions of the Atlas were also encouraging and the motorcycle should act as a good upgrade to the current ~400cc adventure tourer segment; a segment that’s seen a lot of action lately. The Atlas has a 585cc twin-cylinder engine that makes 69hp and 57.5Nm. Norton has positioned the Atlas as more of a tourer, with many touring-centric features like cruise control and advanced rider aids like lean-sensitive ABS, traction control, slide control and launch control. We expect the Atlas to be priced lower than its UK pricing in India since it’s being manufactured here.
Going back to the names, Norton has long been rumoured to be working on a more affordable, single-cylinder platform for value-sensitive markets – like India – and it isn’t a far-fetched thought to think one of these trademarked names could be used for products born out of that platform. Although, time (and TVS) will tell where this actually leads to. For now, we look forward to Norton bringing its current roster to India and hope to see the Atlas being priced competitively. Though our first ride impressions of it were good, we’d love to see how it stacks up in home territory against rivals like the Honda NX500, Kawasaki Versys 650, and the soon-to-be-launched Royal Enfield Himalayan 750.
Source: MOTOBOB (Instagram); All GBP-to-INR conversions are based on exchange rates at the time of writing.
