After Reva Electric, SsangYong Motor Company, SYM two-wheelers, Peugeot Motorcycles and even legendary design house Pininfarina, Mahindra and Mahindra has added BSA, the British classic bike company to its list of firms it has acquired stakes in.
The automaker obtained BSA via Classic Legends (CLPL), a subsidiary brand in which Mahindra has a 60 percent stake. According to the company, CLPL acquired 100 percent of BSA, all of its 1.2 lakh shares, at the rate of GBP 28.33, totalling to GBP 34,00,000 (around Rs 28 crore). This acquisition, expected to be completed by November 5, 2016, will grant CLPL the license of the BSA brand, which it can market, distribute and sell globally.
BSA started making motorcycles back in 1910, until their two-wheeler operations finally ceased in the 1970s. Incorporated in the United Kingdom on December 2, 1980, BSA is currently has presence in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Mexico and Canada, and in its new form, the company has been making a small number of specialised bikes with the BSA moniker. With Mahindra gaining a majority stake in the company, India could soon be added to that list of countries. And who knows, we might even see a complete revival of this legendary motorcycle brand in the near future.