The Piaggio Group brings a new three-wheeler to India. In the fourth quarter, the Italian company intends to increase sales in the Asian country by launching the marketing of the new one Ape City Passenger, equipped with a new 200cc engine and entirely developed by Piaggio. Presented for the first time at the Delhi Auto Show 2012, the Ape City Passenger – which is now entering production at the Piaggio Group plant in Baramati – is designed for areas with the greatest urban traffic. The 200cc engine will be available in different versions with Petrol (gasoline), CNG (natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) fuel systems.
Production of the Ape City Passenger will reach 100% of production capacity starting in 2013. The new vehicle will allow Piaggio to enter a market sector – that of three-wheeled vehicles for transporting people in urban areas – which in 2011 represented, with over 415.000 units sold, 80% of the Indian three-wheeler market. The market segment to which the new Ape City belongs is worth over 200 units sold every year.
In India, in the world of three-wheelers, Piaggio Vehicles Private Ltd. (Pvpl) in August achieved a market share of approximately 36% thanks in particular to the sales of vehicles in the Cargo segment, characterized by larger dimensions and engine capacities than those of the passenger. The characteristics of the new Ape City also make this product particularly suitable for export to Asian and African countries.
