Category:LML

LML LTD (Lohia Machines) is an Indian based company that signed a collabroative agreement with Piaggio of Italy in 1984 to produced manually geared Vespa scooters for the Indian market and export. This agreement was very successful but was wound up in 1999 due to legal reasons. Since then LML have continued with mixed success. The core of their business has always been geared scooters called 'clones' of the original variants of the Italian Vespa. Due to changes in taste within the Indian motorcyle market scooter sales were hit hard in the late nineties in favour of light motorcyles and cars in Indias rapidly industrialising market. In reponse to this LML set out to swap production to light motorcycles in collaborative agreements with Daelim of Korea. Unfortunately the development costs & ambitions paid heavily on LML and they could never make real progress against the huge market leader Bajaj. In addition the products offered were either more expensive or too similar to Bajaj products which eventually forced LML in to financial trouble resulting in closure in March 06. Since then LML have been re financed and in March 07 have once again joined production but this time concentrating on scooters only and for export. Lml belatedly have realised that they have accidentally in posession a design classic which will always be able to achieve premium export sales. The basic Vespa shape is recongnisable Worldwide and now it seems that LML have returned to their core business, perhaps trying to position themsleves as the 'Royal Enfield' of the scooter World. As of print Aug 07 the factory is producing 5000 units per week exclusively export. The models include the North American Stella, European STAR, Austrlian and New Zeland Bella Donna plus the NV scooters for Asia, Africa and South America. It is also of interest that LML is now the only manufacturer of such scooters anywhere as production has been ceased in all other plants Worldwide. With no competition LML perhaps have a golden opportunity to promote their models. Eddy Bullet 07