WHO IS BEHIND THE RETURN OF BSA?

BSA is now owned by Indian company Classic Legends, a division of Mahindra and Mahindra, which is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest producers of motor vehicles in India, is estimated to turn over

$9.8 billion, and produces $1.2 billion in profits. Mahindra owns Peugeot scooters, and makes small-capacity motorcycles, bikes, cars, buses, lorries. It is also the largest manufacturer of tractors in the world. Classic Legends sold more than 50,000 Jawa models in India during 2020, its first year of production – more than Triumph’s worldwide sales in the same period.

BSA has development plants in Coventry and Banbury, Oxfordshire, and is negotiating with local authorities in the

West Midlands about locating and supporting a UK factory to produce the Gold Star.

Building modern classics is not BSA’s only plan for the future. The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, on the Warwick University campus, says it is working with BSA on a retrostyled electric motorcycle.

This machine will “include a bespoke battery, with a specially designed motor that creates the right retro-torque with an authentic sound. This middleweight retro-roadster will target the mid-performance segment and have a wide market appeal. It will have the best of both worlds: a modern retro-design that rides on innovative and green technology.

“BSA wants to ‘contemporise the classic’ through the motorcycle. Funding received for this project will fast-forward the development of a UK-designed, developed, and manufactured electric motorcycle.”

Earlier this year, BSA Company Ltd was awarded a £4.6 million grant by the UK Government for the development of zeroemission motorcycles, as part of the low-carbon automotive initiative.