Piaggio India will remain fuel agnostic and offer its customers the choice of diesel, petrol and CNG powertrains.

“We are going to let the customer be free to decide what to use as it is a question of his livelihood. We have to be sensitive to the ownership cost and acquisition cost,” Piaggio India chairman and MD Diego Graffi said after the launch of the 300cc HT Ape range in both petrol and CNG fuel options.

On why the company did not launch an electric powertrain, Graffi said: “EV is a revolution waiting to happen but right now there is a mental barrier against it. The company is investing in EV and BS-VI and alternative fuel to expand its current market share of 30 per cent.”

The biggest roadblock to EV, Graffi feels, is the cost of acquisition and the swappable model of battery.