Piaggio Vehicles (PVPL) is aiming to consolidate its position in the premium scooter market in India. While this sub-segment (models priced above Rs 70,000) currently sees only the Vespa brand, the company is now known to have a plan of adding yet another global brand – Aprilia (via its SR 150 scooter model) in this space by August 2016.
Piaggio officially unveiled the Aprilia SR 150 at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida on February 3, 2016, and announced that while the model will not only mark the brand's entry but it will be manufactured at its local facility in Baramati, Maharashtra.
Talking to our sister publication Autocar Professional at the expo a few days ago, Stefano Pelle, managing director, PVPL, confirmed that the Aprilia SR 150 will share its engine with the Vespa 150cc models – the SXL 150 and VXL 150 – launched last year with price tags close to Rs 90,000 and Rs 85,000 respectively. According to the company website, Piaggio currently sells a total of six scooter models under the Vespa brand including four variants in the 125cc segment and two models in the 150cc scooter category.
“Yes, the engine (single-cylinder, 150cc, 11.5bhp) is the same that goes into the Vespa 150s but it is tuned differently. The transmission is also tuned differently. It shares a lot with the Vespa models,” Pelle said.
The Aprilia SR 150 will also come equipped with a 220mm front disc brake (along with a 140mm rear drum brake), which also hints at the possibility of adding a single-channel ABS system if required in the near future.
Pelle added, “We are in the process of setting up an all-new assembly line for the Aprilia SR 150s. The first batch of production scooters will roll out in a couple of weeks from now.”
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
