Difference between revisions of "Category:LML"

(New page: Indian scooter forum is a non partisan sister site of the Bristol (UK) based classic Vespa scooter dealer Eddy Bullet. Whilst everyone associates Scooters & particularly Vespa-Lambretta wi...)
 
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Indian scooter forum is a non partisan sister site of the Bristol (UK) based classic Vespa scooter dealer Eddy Bullet. Whilst everyone associates Scooters & particularly Vespa-Lambretta with Italy it is little appreciated that there are over seven million classic manually geared scooters on Indian roads today.
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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 1948 Piaggio & Innocenti the original Italian manufacturers have produced scooters in several countries but know where is the scooter more important than in India. A vital cheap reliable affordable tool to give the Indians mobility at the start of Indias industialisation these scooters should not be confused with the more modern (automatic geared) scooters so popular in Europe today. Just as war ravaged Italy used the scooter to help mobilise their population after five disastrous years of conflict the Indian scooter is an important tool in their quickly industrialising economy offering easy social mobility previously unknown on the sub continent. So important is the scooter in Indian culture scooters are often given as wedding dowerys and can receive official Hindu blessings in ceremonies carried out on new scooters to bring luck.
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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 cased in all other plants Worldwide. With no competition LML perhaps have a golden opportunity to promote their models. Eddy Bullet 07
Obviously with so many scooters produced in India since the early sixties it was inevitable they would find their way on to british roads. Also without exception indian scooters have been grey imported in to the UK without much official backup or distribution either new or used. The purpose of the Indian Scooter Forum www.indianscooterforum.co.uk is to act as an internet meeting point for owners & enthusiasts to swap information, technical tips, advice etc. The main Indian manuffacturers are as follows: A.P.I (auto products India) S.I.L (scooters India Ltd) Bajaj Auto, LML (Lohia machines Ltd), Kelvinater, Pushpack. At time of printing LML is now the only current manufacturer of these scooters due to changes in the Indian developing market in favour of light motorcycles and cars. Aug 07
 

Revision as of 12:26, 4 August 2007

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 cased in all other plants Worldwide. With no competition LML perhaps have a golden opportunity to promote their models. Eddy Bullet 07