BSA Purchased By Mahindra
Could this mean a revival of the iconic British marque?
One of the most storied names in motorcycling, BSA, has been purchased by Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., the Indian automotive conglomerate that’s one of the biggest of its kind in the world. Mahindra purchased all 120,000 shares of the company at $34.63 per share, equalling roughly $4.2 million USD. Mahindra subsidiary Classic Legends (CLPL) acquired the brand, giving Mahindra full licensing rights and the rights to sell, market, and distribute BSA motorcycles on a global scale.
We’ve yet to see what Mahindra’s plans are for the BSA brand, but it’s known the Indian company was looking to purchase an iconic British name – either Norton or BSA. When Norton CEO Stuart Garner said he wasn’t interested in selling his brand, attention shifted to BSA.
The British motorcycle marque BSA was once one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in the world before its business declined and operations ceased in 1972 due to increased competition from Japan and decreased resources being put into the company. Meanwhile, Mahindra has been on a shopping spree. In 2014 the company purchased a 51% stake in Peugeot Motocycles (PMTC) and acquired a 76.06% controlling stake in famed Italian design house Pininfarina for $28 million. Mahindra absorbed the Indian scooter maker Kinetic and formed a joint venture with Taiwanese brand SYM in an attempt to fight with established players like Hero MotoCorp, Honda, and Bajaj in the highly competitive (and lucrative) small-displacement category in the Asian market.
Considering the history of the BSA brand, it could be reasonable to guess the revamped company could return to producing modern versions of its classic motorcycles to rival the Triumph Bonneville or even Royal Enfield, another British marque with Indian ownership. Time will tell what comes next. Keep it on Motorcycle.com for the latest in the BSA saga.
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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Pay over $4million for the BSA name? Am I missing something? Tax write-off maybe?
An Indian BSA and an Indian Enfield. There has to be some irony that a Colony can make a brand work isn't there?