Triumph appears to have quashed media speculation about the possibility of buying Norton Motorcycles, which is in administration.
A spokeswoman for Triumph told Business-Live, the national digital news service: “Whilst it’s incredibly sad to see the demise of such a famous British motorcycle brand, and the impact that this will have on the employees, their dealers, and their customers across the world, the acquisition of Norton Motorcycles is not something that we would be interested in pursuing.
“We have many priorities and exciting projects here at Triumph that we are actively pursuing, such as the announcement of our non-equity partnership with Bajaj Auto, and the continued evolution of our world class motorcycle range to continue the growth of Triumph, and to continue to delight our fans around the world.”
At the end of January, Triumph kick started a new venture with Bajaj Group – one of the biggest companies in India – which will eventually see a new range for the Asian market starting at around £2000 or less.
The pair has started working on a new range of mid-capacity bikes which will give the UK manufacturer a new entry point to high-volume emerging markets across Asia.
The new range will be badged Triumph but built by Bajaj and will see a new engine and bike platform built in the mid-capacity, 200cc-750cc range.
Triumph, which dates back to 1902, now has six factories around the world, including the global headquarters in Hinckley.
It is the UK’s biggest bike manufacturer, selling around 60,000 bikes a year and employs about 2000 people. BusinessLive reported that Triumph’s turnover grew to £529.5 million in the year to last June.