Mahindra Acquires Classic Motorcycle Brand BSA

We can expect the revival of the iconic motorcycle brand BSA as the company will soon be owned by Indian auto major Mahindra & Mahindra.

After acquiring the Peugeot Motocycles (PMTC) and legendary design house Pininfarina last year, Mahindra & Mahindra has now roped in the classic British motorcycle brand -- BSA. The Indian auto major has made this acquisition via one of its subsidiaries, Classic Legends (CLPL), in which Mahindra has 60 per cent stake. At the rate of GBP 28.33, CLPL has bought all the 1.2 lakh shares of the motorcycle business of the British firm, costing GBP 34,00,000 (around Rs 28 crore). Most likely, the Indian firm will complete the acquisition by November 5, 2016. And then it will be able to use the license of the BSA brand for marketing, distributing and selling products globally.

In the motorcycle business since 1910 with a 3½ hp motorcycle as its first offering, BSA stands for “The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited.” The company, till date, has achieved many milestones, such as becoming the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. It commanded a great presence in the world of motorcycle racing as well. However, during the 1960s, the more advanced and reliable Japanese machines started gaining momentum and British motorcycles started losing out. To strengthen its position, BSA merged with Triumph to use best of both the companies but the performances of the Japanese products were still better.

BSA made another attempt by making a merger with the Norton Villiers Triumph Group. However, things did not work out well and the company ceased production in 1973. In 1997, the company restarted producing the hand built 400cc Gold SR. The Southampton based Regal Group and 500cc Gold SR came into production in 1999. However, it was clear by 2003 that the bikes are not in demand as expected by the company. 

Currently, BSA has a presence in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Mexico and Canada, and is making a small number of specialised bikes with the BSA moniker. However, with this new acquisition, we can see a revival of the iconic brand with a new line-up and some more markets could be added to the list including India.