LML Motorcycles

LML (originally Lohia Machines Limited) was founded in 1972 in Kanpur, India, initially producing textile machinery before entering the two-wheeler business. In 1984 LML signed a technical collaboration agreement with Piaggio of Italy and began building Vespa-based scooters, starting with a 100cc model and later adding the Supremo and, in 1993, the Select. The joint venture with Piaggio ended in 1999, after which LML continued building and selling scooters under its own name. 1998 was the company's peak year, with roughly 325,000 scooters sold. An extended labor strike in 2006 forced LML to shut down its factories, and production did not resume until 2008, with new models such as the LML Star. The company never fully recovered its earlier scale, and LML was declared insolvent in 2017, ending its run as one of India's best-known scooter manufacturers.