Piaggio India is evaluating possibilities of introducing the electric Vespa, named Vespa Elettrica.

The company had showcased the Vespa Elettrica at the 2018 and 2020 Delhi Auto Expo.

“The EV market here is still premature. The Vespa is a luxury lifestyle product and we need to position it in a similar segment in the EV space,” said Sudhanshu Agarwal, business head, two-wheelers, Piaggio India.

With most of the EV space in the two-wheeler segment occupied by start-ups and other newcomers, established players are in a wait-and-watch policy.

“There are many fly-by-night operators at present in the EV space. One needs to see how the segment actually pans out once the infrastructure is in place and the battery prices stabilise,” said an industry insider. Besides, technology changes are happening every day. The core ingredients in an electric vehicle are proprietary items, he added.

With Vespa and Aprilia, Piaggio is not into the mass market segment and so the EV space which is now dominated by mass market is not a space the company would like to venture into. “The EV has to be core to our values and the product has to be aligned to our philosophy,” said Agarwal.

The company launched the 75th edition of Vespa in Calcutta recently, a limited edition collectible item celebrating 75 years of the iconic Vespa that became a cult vehicle worldwide after it featured in the evergreen hit film Roman holiday starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

The company recently launched a host of premium products including the Aprilia RS660, the Tuono 660, the Aprilia RS4, the Tuono V4, the Moto Guzzi V85TT in a price range of Rs 13.09 lakh to Rs 23.69 lakh. When asked about the response to the launches Agarwal said: “The response has been encouraging. The premium bike segment has not been affected by the pandemic per se. But the Indian market is still a nascent market for the company’s two-wheeler products.”

Commenting on the launch of the Vespa 75th edition which will have only 1000 units manufactured in the country, Diego Graffi, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio India said, “We at Piaggio India live the Vespa culture of freedom, originality, spontaneity and innovation. Vespa has lived the idea of emancipation, independence, exploration with light mobility. Being always fresh, vibrant, young and unconventional, the Vespa 75th edition celebrates the iconic history and special values of Vespa and depicts them with special execution, As we are celebrating the value of independence through Vespa 75th, it also embarks Vespa’s journey in India at the time India celebrates 75 years of Independence.”

Vespa 75th will be offered in 125 and 150 CC engine options, it features high lumen LED headlight with center integrated DRL. Front disc brake with anti-lock braking system (ABS) in 150CC and combi braking system (CBS) in 125CC. The special edition Vespa is available across all Vespa dealerships in the country and can be booked for an initial amount of INR 5000- across all dealerships in India and through e-commerce website.