Piaggio's iconic Vespa returns to India

The Vespa returns to India at a time when sales of scooters are on the rise, as Indian families, particularly women, are looking for trendy, affordable and easy-to-ride two-wheelers.Piaggio exited the country in 1999, ending a 16-year-long partnership with India's LML Motors after a long dispute.

Italy's iconic Vespa scooter, a rage with the Indian middle-class in its heyday, re-entered the country on Thursday after a 13-year hiatus as scooters come back in vogue.

Auto-making giant Piaggio has brought to India the LX125 -- a high tech, gearless scooter -- to take on competition from rivals such as Honda, TVS, Suzuki and Yamaha in the fast-growing market.

LX125 is powered by a 125cc, 4-stroke motor, producing a power output of 10.7 BHP and a torque output of 9.6 Nm.

Disc brakes will be optional, while the scooter will be built very solidly with 3-coats of paint. The Vespa scooter is being produced at a sprawling new facility at Baramati, which can churn out 1.5 lakh scooters every year.

The Vespa will be retailed through a new set of Vespa dealerships, with 50 of them coming across India. With its Indian foray, Piaggio intends to create an exclusive, premium segment for the brand.

The Vespa will be positioned as a lifestyle, iconic, timeless and ageless product that goes beyond mobility and leverages its heritage and unique values.

Vespa in India will meet the aspirational needs of the fashion, style and brand conscious individuals who would like to be a breed apart.

Predominantly aimed all over the world at a premium segment of consumers who are looking to own nothing but the best, Vespa will be a disruptive force in the 2-wheeler segment in India.

Vespa enthusiasts in India will have a reason to cheer as later this year the country will have its own Vespa Club that will enable them to be a part of an exclusive fraternity.

In 2006, the Vespa World Club was formed that brought together 35 National Vespa club Federations and 685 Vespa clubs in the world.

Unveiling the Vespa at the Auto Expo, Mr. Ravi Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. said, “Our foray into the Indian market activates a whole new segment of style and fashion conscious consumers who are looking for a premium, exclusive, lifestyle offering reflecting their personalities and attitudes. We would like to leverage this sizeable untapped market segment that shows tremendous potential for growth in the coming years”.

Piaggio India has set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Baramati for the production of the Vespa.

The plant has an initial capacity of 150,000. The Vespa will hit Indian roads in April 2012 and will initially be available in 35 main cities.

Vespa is a unique example of immortal design that has gone beyond a mere commuting product to become a part of social history and way of life.

The Vespa is an ageless brand that is now a symbol of a distinctive lifestyle in market after market around the world.

Invented by Piaggio in 1946 as the world’s first scooter, the Vespa rose rapidly in popularity to become a loved and revered emblem of ‘made in Italy’ and ‘a new, unique way of enjoying mobility’.

The Vespa is being positioned as a life-style product and thus the all the dealerships will be universal in design across the country. These dealerships will not retail the Aprilia superbikes.

The dealerships will also offer a range of Vespa branded accessories including riding gear.

Vespa LX125

Vespa LX125

Vespa LX125

Vespa LX125

Vespa LX125