[sam.666]

Hi guys, it seems this may be a good time to bring the little Italian beauty home. Piaggio announced reducing prices of the Vespa LX 125 by Rs 6,500-7,000. The offer has been applicable since the advent of the festive season, but the news was not discussed anywhere. So here I am, holding the beacon!

The price reduction places the nifty little scooter closer, though by a margin to the other mass-selling scooters. Does this mean the company realised its price was too much of a premium to make for considerable sales? Or is it the Yamaha Ray effect?

The Ray is also targeting the young commuters and ladies.

Have not seen such a hefty discount on a scooter in a while. What do you you guys think?

[thoma]

The wasp was a bit overpriced and good that Piaggio realized it. A good 10%, but I still doubt whether they can pull in the numbers and beat the competitors with this price.

Can you put up the new price? I couldn't get it from their site.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by thoma

The wasp was a bit overpriced and good that Piaggio realized it. A good 10%, but I still doubt whether they can pull in the numbers and beat the competitors with this price.

It was 20k overpriced compared to competition. I would have easily paid 10k for the styling and premium nature of the scoot, but yet another 10k didn't sound VFM. With this price reduction - it gets closer to that mark but not quite there yet. Another 3k reduction should do wonders for its sales.

[DicKy]

Price reduction or no, from day one, seeing many Vespas on road here in Thiruvananthapuram. Not necessarily youngsters or well heeled people,most of the people i have seen riding are mostly middle aged people who would rather be riding an Activa. Guess they pay happily the premium for the nostalgia.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Price reduction or no, from day one, seeing many Vespas on road here in Thiruvananthapuram. Not necessarily youngsters or well heeled people,most of the people i have seen riding are mostly middle aged people who would rather be riding an Activa. Guess they pay happily the premium for the nostalgia.

Showroom manager in Chennai told us that the dealers in kerala have managed to exceed their targets, while Chennai dealers are struggling. He himself suggested that the price has not gone down well with the people here in Chennai.

I guess the higher taxes pushing the OTR to above 20k than other scoots is also a main issue in Chennai. There is a psychological barrier you feel - and for us - it was 10k above the price of other scooters.

In fact - my wife commented - if we were to settle down in Trivandrum itself - she would buy herself a Vespa. (So we could keep it for the longer term and not worry about resale value/ depreciation loss and such factors).

[girishglg]

Still confused on who is the target market for this scoot, is it the young college going or the middle aged or the women of the house.

This is also in context of the pricing since it would not appeal any of these groups but only those retro styling lovers who want to have a piece of nostalgia.

That said there are many of these on road in Blr and guess this pricing would bring many more in the coming days.

[hillram]

This is good news as the reduction of pricing will definitely have a positive effect on the LX125 sales. Piaggio needs to get more aggressive now with better marketing campaigns.

[Motored Mindset]

That news is heartening indeed. The Vespa with its retro chic styling and tractable engine has charmed its way into the hearts of auto and design enthusiasts.

If this fractional discount means that India moves that bit closer to appreciating post-war designs and functional beauty, its a win by Piaggio. Its an icon in the same way that cars like the VW Bug and Fiat 500 evolved from a post-war shambles to cater to the dire conditions in Europe.

Interestingly, this now allows Piaggio to come out with a more expensive variant branded as a "limited" or "luxury" trim, priced about 25k more than the bread and butter model for those looking at the Vespa as a lifestyle choice.

[san2]

Its a welcome step by Vespa
this will draw many fence sitters who were hesitant about their purchase due to the price difference
IMO I feel that Activa feels like a bully compared to the wasp and many of my friends feel that vespa feels and looks like a mini scooter

[sam.666]

Originally Posted by thoma

The wasp was a bit overpriced and good that Piaggio realized it.

Can you put up the new price? I couldn't get it from their site.

I agree about the wasp being overpriced. As to your query, I recall the ex-showroom (Maharashtra) price being Rs 66,661 before the discount.

The discount was, if memory serves right, announced on Dussehra. But the company says it will continue to offer the reduced price if they notice significant demand.

I believe they would have seen much more demand if they would have announced the price change before the festive season began, and not during.

Originally Posted by girishglg

Still confused on who is the target market for this scoot, is it the young college going or the middle aged or the women of the house.

This is also in context of the pricing since it would not appeal any of these groups but only those retro styling lovers who want to have a piece of nostalgia.

That said there are many of these on road in Blr and guess this pricing would bring many more in the coming days.

Hi girishglg, the company has been on about creating a "completely new segment" in the Indian acooter market. This, in my opinionated brain, spells out "our product is not really suited to the price point at which we offer it"!

Humour aside, this scooter is being touted more as a retro lifestyle statement rather than the scooter that moves a family along. A faint tune of the old Hamara Bajaj ads rings in my head as I type.

Its good to know the Bangaloreans taking to the Vespa more easily. That is certainly not the case here in Ahmedabad, where its a rarity to see them. The only ones I see regularly are those owned by friends. Hopefully, more will be seen with the change in price.

Originally Posted by Motored Mindset

That news is heartening indeed. The Vespa with its retro chic styling and tractable engine has charmed its way into the hearts of auto and design enthusiasts.

If this fractional discount means that India moves that bit closer to appreciating post-war designs and functional beauty, its a win by Piaggio. Its an icon in the same way that cars like the VW Bug and Fiat 500 evolved from a post-war shambles to cater to the dire conditions in Europe.

Interestingly, this now allows Piaggio to come out with a more expensive variant branded as a "limited" or "luxury" trim, priced about 25k more than the bread and butter model for those looking at the Vespa as a lifestyle choice.

Motored Mindset (great handle, by the way), hasn't our 'democrazy' of a billion always been a fan of retro machinery? Ambys, Padminis, Jeeps and the venerable Bullet serve as prime examples.

Bear in mind that this retro-styled little wasp has but a mere visual resemblance to the original post-war scooters that inspired the Mod movement. It is more a collectors item for the (shall we say) automobilically fixated, as also the design elitists - people who pride themselves on the design and visual appeal of their possessions and not just function.

Although, there is nothing like catching a glimpse of a red or yellow Vespa on the road to brighten up one's day.

And its funny you'd mention a luxury or limited variant to a scooter that is already pretty 'exclusive' (read low sales) in its standard trim! Not to mention that paying Rs 25,000 more for two pieces of chrome or a special paint job will definitely not work in India, I believe.

I personally love all things Italian, Monica Bellucci included. My favourite car is the beautiful Lambo Miura. Ok, may be those Italian curves have some magic in them. And I would love to see Piaggio bring its curvier, bigger-capacity models, albeit at a reasonable non-luxury price point.

That may be wishful thinking, and I'm reminded of a little saying - All good things in life are either expensive, illegal, banned, or married to someone else!

[ghodlur]

Although the price drop by Piaggio is a welcome change but the scooter is still priced around 4-5K more that the highest selling scooter i,e Activa. In Thane the OTR for the Vespa comes around to Rs 62K+ without any accessories. The highest price scooter uptil now, the Aviator sells for 59K. I dont think so Vespa can still make any dent (I would say scratch) with high pricing.

Have a been seeing a few Yellow wasps around in Thane but the scooter IMO looks very delicate & feminine.

[Motored Mindset]

Originally Posted by sam.666

It is more a collectors item for the (shall we say) automobilically fixated, as also the design elitists - people who pride themselves on the design and visual appeal of their possessions and not just function.

I think the Indian fixated-ness on "classic styling" a la' the Amby's, Fiat 1100's etc. was more of something that was forced upon us during the License Raj upto the period of economic liberalisation in the 90's. There are examples to show that we are more than happy to embrace "futuristic" designs - whether it was people jumping onto the Maruti 800 bandwagon in 1983 because it looked so far ahead of its time, to currently where the selling point of Hyundai cars - especially the i20, Verna and Elantra happen to be their reliance of fluidic styling. I don't think I can risk being OT for any longer, hence, coming back to the wasp:

Originally Posted by sam.666

Although, there is nothing like catching a glimpse of a red or yellow Vespa on the road to brighten up one's day.

I couldn't agree more. The build quality is better than I had expected (though this comes from a giving a parked Vespa a thorough visual inspection looking at panel gaps, paint finish and fittings like lights and not riding one).

Originally Posted by sam.666

And its funny you'd mention a luxury or limited variant to a scooter that is already pretty 'exclusive' (read low sales) in its standard trim! Not to mention that paying Rs 25,000 more for two pieces of chrome or a special paint job will definitely not work in India, I believe.

That may be because of the Vespa's public image in Italy that I may have been a bit too optimistic with how Piaggio would market the Vespa in India. There are Hugo Boss ads of men in suits, with leather bags and fine-cut suits straddling the Vespa ready to go to work - such is the level of "cool" the Vespa exudes.

But in a size-concious Indian market, on second thought, I agree that a limited model would find even fewer takers because a scooter here is regarded as nothing more than an economical way to get from point A to B.

Though a higher variant could come in it's special paint job, the same engine in a slightly higher state of tune (less mileage friendly), disc brakes, upgraded head lamps and tail lamps, better seat trim etc.

I wonder whether it's more than a festive discount, whether it was a matter of low demand, increased localisation or simply (and most probably) an end-year stock clearance.

[abybabykcc]

Saw an ad in the papers today, Vespa at approx 48 grand. It's supposed to be a limited period offer (only four days). What's the catch? How do you come down from 66 K (initial price) to 48 K? 48 K is definitely a more realistic price. Hope it is true and hope the offer lasts beyond four days.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by abybabykcc

Saw an ad in the papers today, Vespa at approx 48 grand. It's supposed to be a limited period offer (only four days). What's the catch? How do you come down from 66 K (initial price) to 48 K? 48 K is definitely a more realistic price. Hope it is true and hope the offer lasts beyond four days.

Which paper? Can you post some image for the same?

[Rajesh Rawal]

Originally Posted by abybabykcc

Saw an ad in the papers today, Vespa at approx 48 grand. It's supposed to be a limited period offer (only four days). What's the catch? How do you come down from 66 K (initial price) to 48 K? 48 K is definitely a more realistic price. Hope it is true and hope the offer lasts beyond four days.

Must be some catch as mumbai ex showroom is around 63k (eventually onroad would be like 71)

I got mine a month back in hyderabad -otr was 69.

Yes i did manage to get the seat cover/helmet/rubber mats inclusive of the deal.

If its indeed 48k i would suggest go for it ,its a great scooter (best in class) and does have people give it a second look(does not happen to the activa's of the world)