Piaggio Family Numero Uno
23 Jan 2008
Author: Piaggio Australia
The Piaggio family of Italian scooters, which also includes Gilera and the iconic Vespa, finished last year as the No. 1 selling scooter brand in Australia with 2482 units, a massive 29 percent increase on 2006.
In a healthy market, the group again made huge gains, with the reinvigorated Piaggio-branded range the shining light.
“We enjoyed an updated Piaggio range in 2007, including the well-priced entry-level Zip 50 and Zip 100, plus the Fly 125,” said Simon Gloyne, the Brand Manager for Piaggio Australia. “Combined with the iconic Vespa range and sporty styled Gilera range, we now have the most comprehensive range of scooters in the market and simply the best dealers in the country.
“The strength of our range and the quality of our dealers is providing a natural barrier to newer no-name brands entering the market as they struggle to establish a quality distribution network.”
Piaggio is now looking forward to an even stronger 2008 with the continuation of its existing and well established range, as well as the addition of some new model Vespas. Moreover, the innovative three-wheel range continues to exceed all expectations, and is now at full strength with the release of the MP3 400 to join its MP3 250 and Fuoco 500 stablemates.
“The factors that influenced the strong market growth for the past five years remain a strong influence, and we expect these to again influence another burst of growth in 2008,” continued Gloyne. “Factors such as traffic congestion and parking limitations remain at the forefront, while fuel prices are set to head above the new “comfort zone” of $1.35 per litre and will be the single most significant influence.”
About Piaggio
The Piaggio company, nestled in the Tuscan countryside between Florence and Pisa, first invented scooters in 1946 when it produced the first-ever Vespa and helped liberate a war-torn Italy. Vespa remains the iconic scooter brand with its unique metal-bodied design. Today, Piaggio continues to produce scooters under the classic Vespa brand, the sporty Gilera brand and the contemporary Piaggio brand. In Australia, PS Importers is the sole importer of this iconic and popular range
About Vespa
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday" were only the first of a long series of international actors and actresses to be seen on the world's most famous scooter. In photo shoots, films and on the set, the Vespa has been a "travel companion" for names like Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress, Geraldine Chaplin, Joan Collins, Jayne Mansfield, Virna Lisi, Milla Jovovich, Marcello Mastroianni, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, Anthony Perkins, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Nanni Moretti, Sting, Antonio Banderas, Matt Damon, Gérard Depardieu, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson.
