TVS Motor has appointed Vimal Sumbly as its premium business head, and he will be responsible for TVS' presence in the premium two-wheeler space, including brands like Norton. Until recently, Sumbly was the Asia-Pacific head of Royal Enfield, and the managing director of Triumph India prior to that. He also had a stint at Bajaj Auto, during which he helped set up the Probiking base for KTM.

The company is already transitioning towards premium products like the iQube, and pushing the envelope with the Apache, Ntorq and Jupiter.

Sumbly’s experience will come in handy at TVS Motor where the Apache has been among the top sellers, and is a formidable brand to reckon with in the motorcycle segment.

TVS has been through a series of avatars in the two-wheeler space beginning with the moped over four decades ago, the alliance with Suzuki and then branching off on its own with the Victor motorcycle at the turn of the century.

TVS Motor is clearly looking at a big global play in its two-wheeler business. Beyond the tie-up with BMW Motorrad, the company acquired Norton Motorcycles of the UK in early 2020. With electrification now emerging as one of its top priority goals, the company has also embraced the vision of urban mobility by acquiring e-bicycle companies in Europe.