After tasting success with the premium Vespa scooter, Piaggio is now aiming for bigger volumes with a new 125-cc gearless scooter.
Obviously, the latest offering will not boast the Vespa badge, and is rumoured to be christened as Piaggio ‘Fly’ or ‘Flyer’. Shedding the Vespa tag will help the new scooter sport an aggressive price tag of around Rs 55,000, which is more in tune with competition, like Honda Activa, Suzuki Swish, Mahindra Duro DZ etc. In-fact the Rs 50,000-to-Rs 55,000 scooter segment has grown by 24.5 % in 2011-12.
The ‘Flyer’ is said to sport trendy design on the lines of Honda Dio and newly launched Yamaha Ray, with its headlight uniquely position on the front fender and will retain some retro styling that has been appreciated even on the current Vespa. It will be equipped with telescopic forks up front and hydraulic shock absorbers in the rear. The model will have drum brakes in front and rear, but disc brake could be offered as an option. The new scooter will be powered by the same 125-cc engine like on the Vespa, which offers 10.06 PS and 10.06 Nm, though tuned to offer better fuel efficiency.
The final stages of testing of the scooter is on and homologation almost completed, the Piaggio’s latest scooter offering should reaching the showroom as early as next month. The company is anticipating huge demands and is in process of doubling dealerships to 100 in the next couple of months.
In other related news, Piaggio Group Americas has tied up with Paramount Pictures for the next instalment of the highly successful Transformers film franchisee. The partnership will include a a full slate of promotional and marketing initiatives nationwide including: a national dealer open house, free movie tickets, an advertising campaign and a sweepstakes awarding a Vespa scooter.
