This lesser known Indian-owned British automotive firm once had a giant presence in the UK

You’d likely know about Jaguar-Land Rover owned by Tata, however, it’s not necessarily the case with this commercial vehicle manufacturer. I didn’t even think I’d be writing this until I looked up a list of British automotive companies out of curiosity and found another Indian-owned firm currently known as “Switch Mobility” (formerly Optare).

A brief history lesson; This company began operations in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire under the Optare name in 1984 and was responsible for manufacturing buses powered by CNG and LNG, for city councils across the United Kingdom. In 2010, Hinduja group-owned Ashok Leyland, a successful commercial vehicle manufacturer in India acquired 26% of Optare and increased its share to 75%, effectively buying out Hungarian-owned North American Bus Industries in 2011. Optare made its “Switch” in November 2020.

Why was Switch/Optare acquired by Ashok Leyland in the first place?

At the time of acquisition, its spokesperson stated that “The deal is expected to further benefit Ashok Leyland in its endeavour to accelerate technology, new product development and address new markets. The acquisition will give the company access to Optare’s technology, including a modern range of mid-size and full-size city buses, which can address several global markets’

However, after digging into the financial statements for 2009, it looked like the firm was drowning in losses, which could possibly have been attributed to the global financial crisis of 2008, however, there is no official word confirming the same.

Now that you’ve read this far, you may have learnt that this company doesn’t make passenger vehicles and I know you may be wondering, “Why does a commercial vehicle company even matter to me?” and you’re right. After all, you’d only care about making it to your destination and if you live in London, there’s still a chance you may hop onto one of these instead of the newer “Boris” buses.

What other Switches do they manufacture?

Since being acquired by Ashok Leyland, it is inevitable that they now manufacture commercial vehicles for India under two portfolios, the EiV and IeV series.

The manufacturer of London’s double decker buses also manufactures Mumbai’s new double decker buses under the EiV series

What does the future hold for Switch Mobility?

In October 2024, Switch Mobility’s OHM division recently bagged a contract with the Chennai MTC to manufacture and supply and maintain its EiV12 buses for 12 years with the initial units expected to be deployed into service by April 2025.

Additionally, Switch Mobility is expected to re-enter the European Market in 2025 and has already secured a contract to manufacture and supply its E1 electric buses in Spain.