Mahindra owned BSA motorcycle brand makes Indian debut with new model

New Delhi: Mahindra Group-owned iconic motorcycle brand BSA made its debut in India on Thursday with the launch of 652-cc Gold Star 650 model at a starting price of Rs 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

One of the oldest motorcycle companies in the world, Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), was acquired by the Mahindra group's premium motorcycles arm Classic Legends in 2016.

Classic Legends sells Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles in the country.

The BSA Gold Star 650, which made a comeback in the UK in 2021, is currently being sold in Europe, Turkey, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The latest bike will compete with the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, which starts at Rs 3.03 lakh, positioning itself as a strong contender in the 650cc segment.

The BSA Gold Star 650 is available for purchase at select authorised dealers across India, with bookings currently open. 

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group at the launch, said, "Bringing BSA to India is about sharing a piece of world motorcycling history with India. That indomitable spirit of BSA, a brand built in the fires of battle, is imbued in the new Gold Star.”

Stating that India is certainly on the rise and its time has come, he said, "There is enormous change and potential. We are like an oasis of growth, the fastest growing large economy in the world." 

Mahindra said that the revival of the BSA by the Mahindra Group is just not the story of its alone and added that there are a number of Indian companies which have gone in and acquired British brands and are reviving them.

"It is because today India is a far larger economy. This is the economy that can give scale to a brand that allows people to just speed up its resurrection," he said.

And when we and companies have gone to acquire these British brands, it is not with any kind of morbid sense of retribution or triumph. There is enormous affection, he said and added "It is our job to revive these brands (like BSA). The spirit of BSA is hardwired in the new Gold Star 650.” 

Mahindra said the key to look at mobility space is not to define it by EV versus vehicles powered by internal combustion engines but rather need to look at what is the experience you're giving a customer and what is the customer looking for.

“We've been talking ever since COVID about the experience economy, how people are now looking to improve the quality of their lives. I think Covid has given an enormous flip to motorcycles because it's about freedom,” he said.

Stating that the company is ready for an electric motorcycle, he said, “(but) don’t get into this EV versus ICE, which we all have been getting locked in.” 

Anupam Thareja, Co-founder of Classic Legends, said, "The BSA Gold Star embodies the essence of motorcycling excellence. Every detail, from the tank's iconic shape to the engine's big single character, has been meticulously crafted to capture the spirit of BSA's golden age while delivering the performance, reliability, and innovation that define a global brand.”

Thareja said that the 650-cc and above segment stands at around 20,000 units, both through domestic manufacturing and CKD and growing very fast and added that with the launch the company is looking to double or triple its presence in this segment.

"We are doing very well in this segment and we are ahead of the competition,” he said.

Stating that the capacity is fungible and not a constraint or limitations, he said that the company aims to produce one-lakh vehicles across the brands—Jawa, Yezdi and BSA—at the Pithampur facility at Indore in this fiscal as against 60,000 motorcycles that it produced with two brands last year.

The company has already spent around Rs 350 crore out of the Rs 1,000 crore investment over three years it announced in 2023. Rs 350-crore have been spent on upgradation, on new R&D, on toolings and on the launch, it said.

He said that the company has over 450 dealerships currently and there are plans to add another 150 by this year.

Classic Legends has identified 52 dealerships currently for the BSA motorcycles and this is growing and at the same time this will keep on expanding further within its own network as well.

The deliveries for these motorcycles will start in the next 10 days Earlier this month, Classic Legends (CLPL) inked a joint venture (JV) pact with Tube Investments of India (TIIL) to use BSA Marks in India.

Tube Investments is a part of the Murugappa Group of companies and manufactures bicycles, components, transmission and engine parts for four-wheelers and two-wheelers, automotive and industrial chains, precision steel tubes and fitness equipment.

The primary focus of the CLPL-TIIL JV will be the use of BSA Marks in India for motorcycles and the corresponding parts and accessories that are manufactured and sold by Classic Legends.