Mahindra and Mahindra has acquired the motorcycle business of British firm, BSA. The acquisition was made by Classic Legends Private Limited (CLPL), a subsidiary of the Indian auto major wherein the company bought 1.2 lakh shares for GBP 34 lakh (Rs 28 crore).
This acquisition now allows Mahindra to utilise the BSA brand name for selling, marketing, distributing motorcycles globally. Previous reports indicate that Mahindra was also contemplating acquiring the Norton motorcycle brand before making this move. Based out of UK, BSA currently has a presence in handful of countries including Japan, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Mahindra has been on an acquisition spree since the past few years. Last year, Mahindra acquired a 51 per cent stake in Peugeot Motocycles and a 76 per cent stake in Italian design house – Pininfarina. The other automotive brands under its umbrella include Ssangyong and Kinetic’s two-wheeler business, now called Mahindra Two Wheelers.
The BSA moniker is sure to evoke nostalgia and sweet memories among classic motorcycle enthusiasts, as the brand still enjoys a loyal following in India. Though BSA enjoyed a cult status from the 1930s to 1960s on a global scale, the onslaught of high tech and low cost Japanese motorcycles slowly killed the brand. The brand has changed several hands in the past few years. Now though, the Mahindra action plan is expected to kick start BSA’s research and development and re-launch the brand with new models. With the combination of BSA’s heritage and Mahindra’s expertise in low-cost manufacturing, we can expect to see some interesting motorcycles to be rolled out in the near future.
