Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited (PVPL), an arm of the Italian Piaggio Group recently launched two fixed battery EVs in the Ape range if three-wheelers and signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with key EV players like Sun Mobility, Zyngo, Three Wheels United, City Link, Amplus Solar, Magenta Mobility, MoEVing, and MBSI with a promise to deliver 24,000 commercial EVs in a phased manner across India in 2023.
Speaking to Financial Express, Diego Graffi, Chairman and MD for PVPL streamlined the company’s plans for the next couple of years that currently schedules no new product launches for the next calendar year. “The Piaggio portfolio is equally split between diesel and petrol and will continue this ratio for a couple of years. We have heavily invested into CNG and have seen a very positive effect in the last 6 months. We have just launched a new diesel powertrain and we hope it will give us a boost.”
In India, Piaggio operates primarily through its two-wheeler and three-wheeler business where the former encompasses Vespa, and the Aprilia brand, whereas the three-wheeler business operates largely through its Ape brand.
Focussed on EVs
Talking about the spread of Piaggio’s business, Graffi highlighted that the brand is currently present in 111 cities which highlights its legacy. “In the 2-3 wheeler space we have seen a proliferation of players coming forward, but we have a legacy, we have adopted the same successful framework – a hassle-free experience with us, no complaints in terms of service and we are present nearly at every corner of India. Our dealerships are presenting the EV experience very distinctly from ICE and in some cities we have more EVs than ICE products as there is a lot of interest. We are also onboarding new partners.”
When asked about Piaggio’s first electric scooter or a Vespa electric, the company’s CMD said “We are already working on working at reducing operating costs, increasing range and improving contents for our three-wheelers, but for two-wheelers, we don’t have concrete plans are evaluating our options.”
