Italian brand Piaggio group dominates the premium segment of scooters in the Indian market, with its Vespa and Aprilia products. According to a media report, the motor vehicle giant now plans to bring in BSVI compliant engines on both the Vespa and Aprilia brands well before the intended enforcement date of 1st April 2020. It is also speculated that Piaggio will be shifting the entire production to BSVI standards by the end of this year. Both the Aprilia and Vespa model are expected to get fuel injection system on them with Vespa to get LED lights and Aprilia will get new graphics to differentiate the new BSVI models. Vespa has been deeply cherished among classic Italian fanboys in India and the basic design of the scooter is expected to be retained.
Recently, Piaggio launched the Vespa Urban Club which is the most affordable Vespa in India, at the starting price of INR 73,733 ex-showroom and the Vespa Urban Club features a rounded halogen powered headlights and front turn indicators integrated with the apron. The scooter also gets black finish apron garnish, black finish front fender garnish, black wheels, black-bordered taillights, black finished mirror housing, etc. The Urban Club is powered by a 124.49cc single cylinder air/fan-cooled engine with three valves and carburetted fuel delivery system, which produces 9.5 PS of power @ 7,250 RPM and 9.9Nm @ 6,250 RPM coupled to a CVT gearbox.
The Aprilia brand also launched a new entry-level scooter – Storm 125 with a starting price of INR 65,000 ex-showroom which gets a hydraulic double telescopic fork and a hydraulic shock absorber in the rear. The front is equipped with a hydraulically operated disc with 2-piston callipers and the rear has a mechanical drum brake. The scooter gets its design cues from its elder brother the SR 150, but where the SR 150 gets 14-inch alloy wheels, the Storm 125 has 12-inch alloy wheels. The Storm 125 is powered by a 124.7 cc, 3-valve, air/fan cooled, motor producing 9.52 HP of power @ 7250 RPM and 9.9 Nm of torque @ 6250 RPM and the Aprilia SR 150 is powered by a 154.8 cc, 3-valve, air/fan cooled, motor producing 10.02 HP of power @ 6750 RPM and 10.9 Nm of torque @ 5000 RPM.
The BSVI variant scooters are likely to see a price hike of around INR 8,000 to INR 10,000 as compared to the BSIV standard scooters, for reference the BSVI Honda Activa 125 has seen a hike of around 10% – 15%.