November 2008

Yes, we’ve optimized the site to be a bit more friendly in the iPhone Safari browser. No changes need to be made on your end, in fact, if you’re surfing on an iPhone now, you’ve already noticed.

Want more iPhone goodness?

We’re working on our first iPhone App!

Yes, the iScoot web app is currently in development. We’re trying to build a simple online community for scooter enthusiasts to connect and share their knowledge and insight. Why not make it mobile friendly so that people can ‘connect on the go’?

No, it’s not facebook or myspace, but it is a social network. For scooterists, by scooterists.

More soon…

New 50cc four-stroke powerplant delivers a sporty punch of good, clean fun

NEW YORK, November 19, 2008 – Italian manufacturer Piaggio, renowned for
revolutionary ideas in personal transportation, announces the debut of the
2009 Vespa S 50.  This all-new addition to the company’s iconic scooter
portfolio blends all the premium Vespa product benefits, such as Italian
styling and the unique single-steel chassis, with a newly engineered
four-stroke, four-valve SOHC engine.  To develop the most powerful 50cc
four-stroke available today, Vespa engineers minimized weight and maximized
the power curve, creating a performance character that to-date has been
exclusively associated with two-stroke technology.  The new engine variant
not only gives the Vespa S 50 a distinct performance edge in the 50cc
category, but offers all the environmental benefits of modern four-stroke
design.

Clean, Lean, and Ready to Twist and Go

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From the Wired Blog:

Italian scooter-maker Piaggio has unveiled a plug-in hybrid three-wheeler it says will get up to 141 mpg and could be on the road as early as next year.

The gas-electric version of Piaggio’s funky but fun MP3 scooter uses a parallel hybrid system much like that in the Toyota Prius but advances the technology by adding an electrical cord. Although Toyota, General Motors and several other automakers are developing cars that can be charged from a wall socket, Piaggio’s timeline, if met, would make it the first in the world to mass-produce a plug-in hybrid.

The MP3 Hybrid that Piaggio rolled out at the big international motorcycle expo in Milan, Italy,  combines a 125-cc gasoline engine with an electric motor in an easy-to-ride three-wheeler that reportedly could do zero to 60 in around 5 seconds.

Wired Blog

Plot and post favorite routes, trace your ride’s roots, calculate fuel savings and uncover a world of new reasons to ride

NEW YORK, NY – November 13, 2008 - Piaggio Group Americas, Inc., importer of the iconic Vespa scooter brand, continues to accelerate ahead of the personal transportation curve with the debut of its new consumer web site, scheduled to go live Friday, November 14.  Functional, fun and fast, the new web site – just like Vespa scooters – connects with users by delivering an entertaining interactive experience, a shared sense of community and a wealth of practical reasons to ride.  Every element of the new site, from the latest product news to user-generated favorite riding routes, has been designed to educate and engage visitors while giving them plenty of fun reasons to return.

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