MOBILITY FOR TOMORROW, DONE TODAY

With a staunch commitment to its vision of ‘Beautiful Engineering for the Mobility of Tomorrow’ – Piaggio Vehicles Ltd is well ahead of others on the road to a better, sustainable tomorrow. We spoke to Diego Graffi, Managing Director and CEO, Piaggio Vehicles Ltd, about the company’s journey in India

- Kruti Bharadva

Tell us about the history of Piaggio and its journey in the Indian/ APAC region

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd. is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of the Piaggio Group. With the introduction of the three-wheel brand Apé, the company started operation in India in 1999 which was an instant hit and has grown stronger over the years. In the fields of diesel and alternate fuel 3 wheelers, PVPL has developed, expanded, and maintained a dominant position. Piaggio is a leading small commercial vehicle player in the diesel, petrol, CNG, LPG and electric models, making it a truly fuel agnostic player. In addition to being backed by approximately 3 million happy customers throughout India, the company exports its goods to more than 50 countries worldwide.

Piaggio invented the Vespa in 1946. Having successfully established itself worldwide in the two wheeler segment, Vespa was launched in India in April 2012. The company then introduced Aprilia, a racing and sporty flagship brand for Piaggio Group in August 2016.

Describe for us the product portfolios Piaggio currently has in India

PVPL opened up a whole new premium space in the Indian scooter category with the launch of the iconic Vespa in 2012 and the sporty brand Aprilia in 2016. We offer a variety of 2 wheeler products under these two brands.

In the CV segment we have the largest range independently in diesel, alternative fuel and now electric with around 33 models and 150 variants and we are recognised internationally for our three-wheeler brand Apé which holds a leadership position in various sub-segments of SCV business in India. In 3Wh cargo, we have had a dominant market share for more than a decade.