Kinetic Group and Norton Motorcycle Company have announced a joint venture for India and ASEAN markets. Based out of Pune, the joint venture will start assembling motorcycles at Kinetic’s Ahmednagar plant by the end of 2018.
Kinetic has a 51 per cent share of the joint venture while Norton controls the remaining 49 per cent. The Commando will be launched initially as a completely built unit. However, by the end of the year, Norton will commence local assembly of the bike at the Ahmednagar factory, which will be followed by the Dominator and its variants. The motorcycles will be sold in India through MotoRoyale outlets alongside the MV Agusta range.
The venture has set an ambitious target of capturing 10 to 14 per cent of the domestic big bike sales, which translates to annual sales of up to 2,000 units. The ASEAN markets are further expected to contribute 4,000 to 5,000 units in two to three years of its launch.
Kinetic and Norton are aiming for a high level of localisation which should help price the bikes competitively. With the recent increase in demand for premium retro motorcycles, the Norton motorcycles should strike a chord with the Indian audience. Norton is also in the process of developing new platforms for its future range, which will also be assembled in India.
