Piaggio to enter two-wheeler market

The Piaggio Group is planning to enter the Indian two-wheeler market, setting up a new two-wheeler manufacturing plant at Baramati in Maharashtra. It expects to roll out the first batch of two-wheelers by 2009-10.

The two-wheelers will be available in the 50 cc up to 150 cc range. The company will be re-launching the Vespa brand of scooters in India. The new plant will also manufacture the hybrid Vespa engine, which works on a lithium battery charger and petrol.

On the introduction of the Aprilla range of motorcycles in the country, Mr Roberto Colaninno, Piaggio chairman, said that the company will initially focus on automatic scooters and subsequently study the feasibility of getting into the motorcycle business.

The company is also doing a market analysis to gauge the feasibility of launching two, three, and four wheel hybrid vehicles in India, presumably by the end of 2009 and early 2010.