[amitg79]

Time to bring on the long sideburns and bell-bottoms.
Now you can own something which is retro cool without having to sell your house and both kidneys.

[gtonsing]

My!! what a delectable set of scooters. While they are retro in looks they look nothing like the earlier vespas. I am almost melancholic thinking back on the memories I have of my dad's Bajaj Vespa. So what are the ex-showroom prices likely to be? 50K-70K?
My question was going to be whether these were geared or gearless (read auto) scooters but I think someone has mentioned they would be automatics - like the current slew of scooters - activa et al. Correct?

[deetjohn]

Absolutely Gorgeous.

The 2 wheeled equivalent of the new Fiat 500. I love it and I want one.

[eq24]

Hello everyone, After much time spent at the Expo and particularly the Vespa booth, really got me thinking...

Will Vespa work in India?

Now I know that the Vespa is a killer product, a timeless classic and stellar innovation trough and through, but will the common scooter buying public accept its retro look.

Also the extra price, will that help early adopters, and with the fact just one model being available might not do well for them initially.

Now Aprillia a wholly owned subsidiary of Vespa has some cool modern looking scooters, I wonder will they launch them as well to balance between Retro and modern.

I just hope they have all their strategies in place and make good calls initially so that this brand makes a strong footing.

On another note why did Bajaj stop making their scooters, does anyone know?

Mods please integrate into another topic if this already exists.

Thanks

[Haroon]

Interesting topic you have started.
From what I have seen in the pics from the Auto Expo and read from posts on the forums, I personally feel they want to position the initial offering (125cc) as a commuter for aam aadmi probably priced a tad above the Activa, Access etc to see how the market reacts- Also not seeing the disc brake on the demo models, I feel they are offereing a base scoot to keep the selling price down (maybe a disc brake option could be offered separately). In 'marketing jargon', I guess they are still not making this initial offering a 'Lifestyle product'. So I think their expansions plans will depend on how the initial offering is accepted.

As for scoots from Aprillia etc, they are mostly premium stuff at higher prices & I still dont think there is a big market in India for premium/maxi scooters as they somehow fall under recreation use and that segment is still reserved for big bore SBKs, cruisers etc...

[vanam]

In addition to Aprilia, Piaggio has Derbi as well which also sells scooters. In my view, the name Aprilia is not known in India for Scooters (only limited knowledge and that too for bikes) and Derbi is not known at all. Vespa on the other hand has a very strong brand name and also brand recall. Globally Piaggio does not brand any Derbi or Aprilia product as Vespa as Vespa is a more premium offering. Even in India, so far Piaggio (for Ape, minitruck etc) has used only Piaggio name and not Vespa. I guess the thinking is to use the established brand name while selling premium scooters which would have brand recall and hopefully prove themselves to be superior on quality (tough to beat Activa on that).

OT - Hope Piaggio brings in Moto-Guzzi bikes and Laverda bikes if not for major sales, just as "boutique brands". Imagine seeing Guzzis on Indian roads.

[eq24]

See initially I had thought the same, but they are trying to peg it as a premium offering and price it accordingly.

Scooters in my opinion are not that cool anymore, compared to bikes and specially these timeless looks, while appealing to some, might not make it to everyone.

So I guess they will try to market the innovation and the brand value and try to create business from that side, which could be a good strategy considering they have oodles of both.

I also cant find the mileage these machines give, probably would be a better indication of their future in a "kitna deti hai" country like ours.

[vinair]

I don't think Vespa is looking at volumes here. I remember reading in one of the articles that this scooter would be more of a life style product than cater to the masses. In my opinion, the scooter looks very feminine (no offence meant!) and would go very well with the fairer sex. For a person who is stuck with a waiting period of 3 to 4 months for the Activa, spending another 5 to 6K and going for this Vespa should not be a problem, in my opinion. One major downside to the Vespa name is, its association with LML. Not sure how many would really understand that this is a pure bred Vespa and not a product from its erstwhile Indian partner, LML. (as LML has opened shops again, in Northern India)

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by vinair

Not sure how many would really understand that this is a pure bred Vespa and not a product from its erstwhile Indian partner, LML. (as LML has opened shops again, in Northern India)

Is it? This is news for me? Would they be selling the Vespas? I still remember the stiff competetion between Bajaj Chetak and LML Vespa where I had to convince my father to go for the Vespa rather than the Chetak which was getting too common on the roads.

As far as Vespa models are concerned they wil be first instroduced the class segment and if ti clicks will then be introduced to the mass segments. Till that time it will be still the Activas, Access and the Wegos.

[rajeev k]

Like Honda and Suzuki, and unlike Fiat, Vespa will definitely work in India because Vespa is such an acceptable classical brand. Only concern is whether they would be able to match the Japanese on the pricing front.

[vinair]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Is it? This is news for me? Would they be selling the Vespas? I still remember the stiff competetion between Bajaj Chetak and LML Vespa where I had to convince my father to go for the Vespa rather than the Chetak which was getting too common on the roads.

As far as Vespa models are concerned they wil be first instroduced the class segment and if ti clicks will then be introduced to the mass segments. Till that time it will be still the Activas, Access and the Wegos.

Yes Yes, LML has started operations again and are manufacturing the NV models in 4 and 2 stroke versions.

[satanic_dude]

Really heartening to see the Vespa back in India with a modern yet retro look, staying true to its roots. My dad owned a Bajaj Vespa 150cc until 1990, when he bought a new Kinetic Honda.

This should appeal to the younger generation as well, owing to the 'cute' retro looks, curves all around, bright primary colours and most importantly... automatic!

[hillram]

Im sure Vespas will bring back the glory of scooter ownership in India once they are launched.
Vespa's accessories are very nice and compliement very well when owned with a scooter.

[anuragn]

These vespas definitely look feminine. Not many males like to be spotted on a scooter, that too a gearless one like Activa etc and in most of the cases, the "primary" user is a female.
But I doubt how many females (barring very few) would actually appreciate and value the "retro-ness" of these beauties since they resemble more of the old vespas that our fathers used to ride.

[kaks15]

a clearly visible italian touch, inspiring shapes for a product in decline phase in India, this could bring a new life to scooter market. A refreshing change from the monster that honda sells (eterno is it?)
Brings back old memories of my first ride Bajaj chetak ... hamara bajaj
no matter how fancy bikes come in the market a scooter is a scooter