As expected, Piaggio Group will re-enter the Indian market soon. Today, Piaggio officially announced its plan for the Indian market.\u00a0 Mr Roberto Colaninno, Chairman, said Piaggio would be setting up a new two-wheeler manufacturing facility at Baramati in Maharashtra. \u201cWe expect to roll out our first batch of two-wheelers in 2009-10,\u201d he told. Piaggio will focus on two-wheeler production and marketing in India, maximising technological innovation through development of eco-compatible engines delivering low emissions and reduced fuel consumption. Mr Colaninno also indicated that the two-wheelers would be available from 50 cc up to 150 cc. The company through this initiative will be re-launching the Vespa brand of scooters in India. The new plant will also manufacture the hybrid Vespa engine, which works on lithium battery charger and petrol.Asked about the possible introduction of the Aprilla range of motorcycles in the country, Mr Colaninno said that during the initial period the focus would completely be on automatic scooters, but subsequently the company would study the feasibility of getting into the motorcycle business. In this context, Mr Colaninno said Piaggio would begin European marketing of thermo-electric hybrid scooters at the end of 2008. \u201cAt the same time, we are doing market analysis to gauge the feasibility of the launch of two, three and four wheel hybrid vehicles in India, presumably at the end of 2009 and early 2010,\u201d he said. Piaggio owns well-known brands that include Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera and Derbi and has factories in Italy, Spain, India and China.<\/p>\n
About Vespa<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This will be the third time piaggio enters the Indian market. Vespa was first introduced in India in 1960 in technical collaboration with Bajaj Auto. The tie-up expired in 1971. In 1980s Bajaj sold scooters in North America but later withdrew from the market due to litigation threats from Piaggio. Piaggio then joined with Kanpur-based LML to reintroduce the Vespa brand in 1983. The duo earned the goodwill of indian consumers through the iconic Vespa scooters.\u00a0 LML had manufactured a range of Vespa P series clones using their Piaggo\/Vespa molds and machinery. In 1999 Vespa’s went off Indian roads following Piaggio\u2019s break-up with joint venture partner LML.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As expected, Piaggio Group will re-enter the Indian market soon. Today, Piaggio officially announced its plan for the Indian market.\u00a0 Mr Roberto Colaninno, Chairman, said Piaggio would be setting up a new two-wheeler manufacturing facility at Baramati in Maharashtra. \u201cWe expect to roll out our first batch of two-wheelers in 2009-10,\u201d he told. Piaggio will … <\/p>\n