Made-in-India Electric Scooter From Piaggio Incoming!

Elettrica shown for representation

Along the sidelines of the Aprilia SXR160 unveil at Auto Expo 2020, its parent brand Piaggio has revealed that it’s planning to enter the electric two-wheeler segment in India. The upcoming electric scooter is most likely to be under the Vespa brand and will be developed specifically for the Indian market.

It will be designed in Italy, drawing inspiration from the Vespa Elettrica, but will certainly not look the same. It will be manufactured in India to keep the costs competitive. To bring down the development costs, it could use the existing Vespa platform. This could include part-sharing, especially of components like the fibre bodywork, switchgear and underpinnings. That means it is likely to get the same trailing link front fork, single rear shock absorber, disc/ drum brake up front, and a drum at the rear as the Vespa range. However, the electric motor and the battery will be designed and built by Piaggio itself, just like how it did with the Elettrica. We wouldn’t be surprised if Piaggio offers removable battery as that seems to be the easiest way to reduce downtime while juicing up. 

Expect Piaggio to launch the electric scooter in about 1.5-2 years. It will ensure Piaggio has a good base in the burgeoning electric two-wheeler segment, which is currently populated by the recently launched TVS iQube Electric, Ather 450X, and Bajaj Chetak electric.