Norton Motorcycles invests in new Midlands headquarters

The factory base for all staff has state-of-the-art design, engineering and manufacturing.

The opening comes after a multi-million pound investment from Norton’s new Indian parent company, TVS Motor Company.

More than 50 new jobs have already been created and more are expected to follow as the business activity grows.

The site in Solar Park, Solihull is the most advanced facility that Norton has had in the 122-year-old motorcycle brand’s history. It originally started in Birmingham.

Some of the specialist tooling and equipment previously used by Norton at its Derbyshire base has been carried over to the new site in Solihull, but the site is benefiting from substantial new investment.

Norton will resume production of the Commando Classic model at the Solihull site, building a limited quality to honour customers that had ordered and paid for a deposit on these bikes. Production of the V4SS will commence soon.

Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director of TVS Motors, said: “The opening of the new headquarters represents a significant step forward for Norton Motorcycles. The opening of this state-of-the-art facility will create the foundations for a sustainable long-term future of Norton. The new bikes will meet the world class standards our customers expect.

“2020 has been a tough year for the world but we are excited to be moving into our new home and we are delighted this has been created by the Norton and TVS teams in just nine months."ble Norton to once again become the real force its history deserves.”

Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The arrival of Norton’s global headquarters to Solihull is a real vote of confidence in our region as we look to recover from the pandemic. It speaks volumes to the strides the West Midlands has taken forward in recent years that Norton has chosen to come home after more than a decade based outside the region. This investment not only re-establishes our historic partnership with Norton, but will set a world-class benchmark for exceptional motorcycle manufacturing at the heart of our region, creating hundreds of jobs in the process at what is an incredibly challenging time economically"

Norton Motorcycles was founded in 1898 as a manufacturer of fittings and parts to the two-wheel trade.