Piaggio is strategizing to bring more powerful scooters in the Indian two-wheeler market. The company already sells premium and powerful scooters in India under the Vespa and Aprilia brand and is the leader of the niche 150cc scooter segment in the Indian market. Piaggio is now planning to bring in more powerful 150cc to 300cc segment scooters here in India which will offer better power and handling.
The Indian market is predominant with 100cc to 125cc segment scooters and is the bread and butter for most scooter brands. However, the larger capacity engine scooter market is still untapped and the brand is expecting to make a name in that segment. The Indian two-wheeler market has seen a boom in the 200cc to 300cc motorcycle segment and the brand has taken notice of this and the segment is expected to grow even further in the coming years.
According to a report, Piaggio group is currently developing a scooter suited to the Indian two-wheeler market. The development is in collaboration with the research and development centre in Italy and it will be customised to the likes of the Indian audience. Piaggio aims to launch the new scooter by 2021 under the Aprilia brand.
The Aprilia brand currently has a 125cc and a 150cc engined scooter in the Indian market and their specifications are as follows:-
- Aprilia SR 125
- 124.7cc, 3-valve, air/fan cooled motor producing 9.52 HP of power @ 7250 RPM and 9.9 Nm of torque @ 6250 RPM.
- Aprilia SR 150
- 154.8cc, 3-valve, air/fan cooled motor producing 10.02 HP of power @ 6750 RPM and 10.9 Nm of torque @ 5000 RPM.
The other hardware on both these scooters remains similar. The scooters ride on hydraulic telescopic front forks and a single hydraulic shock absorber on the rear (adjustable on the SR 150 model) . The braking duties are performed by a single 220mm hydraulically operated disc with 2-piston caliper on the front and a 140mm diameter internally expanding mechanical drum brake on the rear. For safety, the brakes are equipped with CBS on the SR 125 and ABS on the SR 150.
Apart from scooters, Aprilia also plans to bring in India the Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 which are the scaled down versions of the super sport bikes. Is the Indian buyer ready for a more powerful scooter or do we still want an economical daily commuter?