Piaggio

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

Moto enthusiast Jay Leno surprised an appreciative audience at the 2009 national Piaggio Group Americas dealer meeting in Palm Springs, CA, introducing dealers  to 11 of the latest Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi products, including the all-new Vespa S 50 and Aprilia SMV 750 Dorsoduro.   A long-time and outspoken ambassador of motorcycling and a fan of the Piaggio brands, Leno took the opportunity to put on his test rider helmet.  He personally evaluated the Aprilia Mana 850 as well as the three-wheel Piaggio MP3 250 scooter, and also got the inside scoop on several future products that the Italian manufacturer previewed for attending dealers.  Leno’s video test impressions of the Aprilia and Piaggio can be found at JayLenosGarage.com, or click here for the Mana review and here for the MP3 250 review. Interested in a test ride of your own?  Log on to www.PiaggioUSA.com to find a dealer near you.

Bob Chase and Buddy Rosenbaum have just completed their cross country trek on Piaggio MP3’s.

You’ll find their trip blog at www.noagelimitpiaggio.us

LAHORE - Italian auto giant Piaggio is coming back to Pakistan, paving the way for European automobile technology, which would give a big boost to the motorcycle industry of the country.

… Piaggio’s coming back to Pakistan and joining hand with a leading Pakistani motorcycle manufacturing company HKF Engineering makes the point that in the European world Pakistan is known as investment-friendly country…

Under the agreement HKF Engineering is launching its first joint product RAVI Piaggio 125 cc motorcycle, which is the first EURO II motorcycle in Pakistan followed by many future products.

Courtesy of The Nation

From TimesOnline:

The papal tuk-tuks, emblazoned with the Vatican crest, were presented to Benedict XVI last month by Piaggio, the moped maker, which also produces motor rickshaws at a factory in India. They are the first Popemobiles to be made in India and the first three-wheelers in the pontiff’s collection.

The vehicles are more commonly seen laden with passengers weaving dangerously through traffic in India, where Piaggio sells about 150,000 every year for 125,000 rupees (£1,500) each. But Ravi Chopra, the managing director of Piaggio’s Indian subsidiary, told The Times that the tuk-tuks had been specially adapted to “suit the Pope’s needs and to suit a person of his status”. They had been fitted with leather seats, white wheels, white canvas roofs and white doors inscribed with the Vatican insignia.

Full Story at TimesOnline.co.uk