Vespa

Piaggio has inaugurated the Vespa plant in Baramati today. Our man Mohit Soni is present and is sending us live updates from the plant. Sharad Pawar insisted Piaggio set up a plant in Baramati because it is a growing sector in Maharashtra. 23% GDP growth in auto sector – Praful Patel. Piaggio has invested Rs. 10 billion in India till December 2011. The Baramati plant has a capacity to produce 1.5 lakh scooters per year, which will be doubled by mid-2013. The company has achieved 100% localization of the Vespa and there are 3000 employees in the factory. Current production of 3-wheelers is pegged at 1000 units a day. [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

The day has finally come and Piaggio has launched the Vespa scooter in the Indian market. The retro scooter has been much awaited but the wait has been worth it. Powered by a 124cc single-cylinder, 3-valve engine which is air-cooled, the Vespa LX125 produces 10.06 BHP of peak power at 7500 RPM and 10.6 Nm of peak torque at 6000 RPM. The gearbox is an automatic CVT unit. Built quality is top notch and the Vespa is locally manufactured at the company’s Baramati facility, which has an annual capacity to produce 1.5 lakh scooters per annum. [click to continue…]

{ 10 comments }

Piaggio is almost completing work on its showrooms, which will be the sole touch points for the upcoming Vespa scooter. Some of the showrooms have already been completed, while others are set to become functional soon. The Italian automaker will be launching the Vespa LX125 on the 26th of April 2012. The company has already delivered a few of the scooters to some dealerships and we happened to checkout the Vespa scooter at the Pune showroom today. So what is the Vespa all about? Lets find out, now shall we? [click to continue…]

{ 28 comments }

Finally the date has been revealed. Piaggio will be launching the Vespa scooter on the 26th of April 2012. The launch will be taking place in Mumbai, which will be followed by the inauguration of the Vespa plant in Baramati. Mr. Matteo Colaninno, Group President, Piaggio will be present on the occasion. The Vespa has been a long time coming but has been delayed on multiple occasions due to the delay in the setting up of the dealership network. Piaggio will start with 50 dealers of the Vespa, which will be expanded in due course of time. [click to continue…]

{ 5 comments }

The Italian 2 wheeler maker, Piaggio had a long stint in India earlier under the brand name of Vespa when it competed with Bajaj in the geared scooter segment. But with the advent of the Japanese motorcycles, the scooter sales dwindled and thus Piaggio was forced to withdraw the Vespa brand from the Indian market. However, the Italian company is already present in the Indian market in the 3 wheeler segment and with the 2 wheeler industry booming, has plans to reintroduce its iconic brand once again. Currently Honda is the market leader in the scooter segment, offering three scooters to the public at large, the Activa, Aviator and Dio. The Japanese automaker also offered a geared scooter Eterno at one point in time. [click to continue…]

{ 6 comments }

As soon as we read the word VESPA, we start remembering Hollywood, Bollywood movies for its presence in it, it’s premium, rich, classic brand image of Italian inheritance comes to our minds. Yes, Piaggio showcased the iconic Vespa at the recent Delhi Auto Expo which is a unique example of an immortal retro design like our grandparent’s choice of scooters. Auto journalists, visitors, enthusiasts are witnesses to the showcase of the range of scooters at the Auto Expo. Everyone was thronged around the stall and discussing. Vespa is a symbol of distinctive lifestyle in the market and is present in more than 100 countries with over 17 million units sold since its inception. [click to continue…]

{ 8 comments }

Just a few days ago we reported about Piaggio’s plans to launch the Vespa and why the iconic scooter is being delayed. Our source had tipped us that the boards will be changed and made bigger to attract the crowd. Today, we verify the same as we snapped the upcoming Vespa showroom in Pune undergoing the changes. The Vespa Millennium Drive showroom at Wakdewadi is one of the 50 dealerships that Piaggio will use to sell the Vespa LX125 scooter. The new board will have bigger fonts and name of the brand in regional language (in this car Marathi). [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }