Confirmed to press by Rajesh Jejurikar, an electric motorcycle under BSA brand is under development.
BSA’s new electric motorcycle will be manufactured by Classic Legends Private Limited (CLPL), which acquired the brand in 2016. Mahindra & Mahindra’s executive director of auto and farm sectors, Rajesh Jejurikar, has confirmed this news. The Mahindra Group owns Classic Legends, which acquired the BSA Company, back in 2016. The R&D center for BSA motorcycles was already established by Classic Legends in Coventry, United Kingdom.
Without further details on when we can expect further headlines on the matter, we are left to guess what exactly BSA has in store for its first electric model.
It was previously announced that BSA operations will be based in the West Midlands region, where a new assembly line or factory will be set up. However, the company has yet to announce any further information about what is happening with the UK assembly facility, but one thing that is clear is that BSA will take a leading role in Classic Legends’ global marketing efforts, while Jawa and Yezdi are primarily focused on the domestic market, but with some overseas ambitions as well.
Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd or BSA was founded in 1861, as its name, the company was originally established for the production of firearms. The brand’s motorcycle division was created in 1903, and the first motorcycle was produced and introduced in 1910.
The BSA brand became the largest supplier of motorcycles to the Allied Forces during the Second World War. By the 1950s, the company was the world’s largest motorcycle maker, with one in every 4 motorcycles sold worldwide coming from the BSA brand. BSA ceased operations in the 70s after going into bankruptcy, only to be acquired by Classic Legends in 2016.
As a result of the upcoming assembly facility, Classic Legends plans to eventually manufacture at least some of the BSA motorcycles. A grant of GBP 4.6 million was awarded to BSA in the previous year under the UK government’s “Low Carbon Automotive Initiative” plan. The company plans to use this grant to produce zero-emission electric motorcycles under the BSA name brand.
It remain to be seen what the company has in store for their first electric bike, and we can hope for a classic combination from the best of traditional and new-age-tech put into one.
“BSA is a hugely popular brand around the world, and that would be a key focus for building the global business for Classic Legends, and there will be an electric version of BSA as well,” Jejurikar said while interacting with media at a press conference.
Source: Car And Bike