India: Piaggio’s Next Frontier

Vespa sets up shop in emerging market.

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Piaggio is placing a heavy bet on India. It has just completed a new manufacturing plant in Baramati specifically dedicated to producing its new Vespa LX 125 scooter.

Covering an area of more than 1.6 million square feet, the factory is capable of producing 300,000 units annually. Given the positive response of the local market, Piaggio plans to fully exploit that potential in 2013.

Another Piaggio plant produces the LX 125 engine, as well as a variety of units from two-strokes that power three-wheel delivery vehicles and the 1200cc twin-cylinder turbo diesels in the Piaggio Porter light truck.

The LX’s air-cooled, 125cc Single was designed and developed in Piaggio’s Pontedera, Italy, headquarters but conceived for the Indian market. It was engineered to run on India’s poor-quality fuel yet still produce a claimed 10 horsepower from its undersquare three-valve, sohc architecture by running a fairly high 10.0:1 compression ratio. Piaggio claims that the LX 125 mill will deliver an astonishing 140 miles per gallon.

Given its outstanding economy, the new unit was also treated to an even higher compression ratio for a version that will go on sale in the higher-octane western world in the near future.

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