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NEW PIAGGIO MEDLEY:
BORN LEADER

PIAGGIO MEDLEY IS THE NEW EASY SCOOTER, FULLY LOADED AND TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED, THAT COMBINES THE BENEFITS OF A LIGHTWEIGHT HIGH WHEEL WITH THE COMFORT AND FEATURES OF A SUPERIOR CLASS SCOOTER.
PIAGGIO MEDLEY IS POWERED BY THE NEW iGET 125 AND 150 CC ENGINES, ELECTRONICALLY FUEL INJECTED, LIQUID COOLED AND WITH 4 VALVE TIMING. A NEW FAMILY OF SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINES THAT RAISES THE BAR IN TERMS OF QUALITY, RELIABILITY AND EMISSIONS CONTAINMENT.

START & STOP, ABS, LIGHT CLUSTERS WITH LED TECHNOLOGY, RECORD CARGO CAPACITY: PIAGGIO MEDLY WAS BORN TO BE A LEADER, EMBODYING THE VALUES OF QUALITY, STYLE AND TECHNOLOGY.

Piaggio Medley - official video

The agility of a metropolitan vehicle combined with the dynamic character of a high wheel and the convenience and cargo capacity of a large GT scooter GT resulted in the Medley, the new Piaggio that combines ultra-modern values of rationality, technology and style. Medley blends practicality, technical innovation and beauty in the purest Italian style, fully comprehending the continuously evolving needs of a public in search of mobility solutions that go beyond the usual scooter formula. With Medley nothing is sacrificed. Piaggio Medley skilfully combines the benefits of a chassis characterised by large diameter wheels, which guarantee superior rideability and road holding compared with smaller wheeled scooters, and the rationality of a classic scooter, its protection, its cargo capacity, the comfort of its large saddle when riding two-up.

The high wheel scooter has been very successful, divided up into lightweight and manoeuvrable vehicles characterised by an easy ride and economic operating costs, and more important vehicles with qualities such as sturdiness and performance. Piaggio, the European leader among major global scooter manufacturers, a company with a unique heritage as the creator of new forms of light mobility, has been a protagonist in the high wheel segment with both easy and lightweight scooters such as the Liberty, as well as with scooters that have spectacular performance and exclusive technical features such as the Beverly range. Medley achieves the goal of creating a new class of Piaggio high wheel scooter that combines the benefits of an agile and lightweight scooter with those of a larger and higher performance high wheel. Coming standard with the “Start & Stop” feature which, by managing engine switch-off and start-up during stops, contributes to containing fuel consumption and emissions as well as two-channel ABS, Piaggio Medley therefore boasts an equipment package that is normally reserved for superior class scooters. Two 4-stroke engines from the new i-get family are available - 125 and 150 cc - both liquid cooled with 4 valve timing and electronic fuel injection. This is a new family of engines designed and developed by Piaggio which boasts a scooter engine research and development centre, one of the most advanced in the world.

STURDY, EASY TO RIDE AND LIGHTWEIGHT

The bearing structure of the Piaggio Medley is based on a new “low single cradle” type frame made of steel tubing reinforced with pressed steel that contributes to its overall sturdiness, maintaining a low and convenient seating position. The front end is characterised by a fork with 33 mm stanchions in diameter, whereas a pair of double acting shock absorbers and coil springs with preload adjustable to 5 positions work at the rear axle. Thanks to this configuration, to the large wheel rims (16” front and 14” rear) made of aluminium alloy with an elegant six split spoke design and the tyres (100/80 front and 110/80 rear), Piaggio Medley guarantees riding comfort, road holding and stability worthy of higher class vehicles, while the contained weight, 132 kg kerb weight, allows the rider to maintain all the agility and manoeuvrability that are the strong points of lightweight scooters.

The powerful braking system handles active safety – made up of two 260 and 240 mm disc units with double piston floating callipers – with ABS as standard equipment. Each wheel has a sensor and a tone wheel to detect revolutions, which instantly reads the speed and deceleration of the wheel with respect to that of the vehicle. The sensors dialogue with a 2-channel hydraulic control unit which activates the ABS system if one of the two wheels decelerates abruptly with respect to the vehicle, avoiding locking and ensuring stability and efficient braking even on road surfaces with a low friction coefficient. Piaggio Medley is also equipped with a “tilt sensor”, a safety device that deactivates the Start & Stop system, switching off the engine, in the event of a fall.

PRACTICAL, DYNAMIC, LIGHTWEIGHT AND STYLISH

As occurs in the automotive field, in the two wheel sector the combination of different vehicle architectures also leads to the birth of new lightweight mobility formulas. Inspired by the important, modern and elegant lines of the bigger sibling Beverly, the new Piaggio Medley introduces concepts of light weight and dynamism that are ideal for city use of the vehicle. The 16” front wheel, in addition to providing stability, safety and comfort, vertically streamlines the entire front end. The wheel rims are aluminium and boast an elegant six split spoke design. The front shield has a spacious glove compartment that can be easily accessed from the rider's seating position. The front view stands out from the classic high wheel scooter look. The surfaces are more extended, all to the advantage of aerodynamic protection and therefore riding comfort, although Medley maintains a clear lightweight look which, combined with the most classic Piaggio style re-interpreted in a modern key, gives the vehicle a unique and distinctive personality. The metallic vertical element (the “tie”) stands out in the centre of the front shield, thereby accentuating a certain family feeling with recent Piaggio production. Also, the innovative LED daylight running lights and headlight become true somatic distinctive traits.

The handlebar, shaped to guarantee protection of the rider, houses a refined instrument cluster with a chromium frame. The digital display makes a complete set of information available (total and trip odometer, external temperature, “service” icon, digital clock, battery status icon and ice danger icon), all selectable using the Mode button on the right hand electric block, while the complete arrangement of warning lights keeps tabs on all the functions, starting with the “Start & Stop” feature, that can be deactivated using the right hand electric block, and then moving along with the classic “injection check”, fuel reserve, oil pressure, ABS activation and Immobilizer indicators. The saddle, large and comfortable even on the passenger section, has an electric opening latch controlled from a button on the handlebar as well as the traditional mechanical latch located in the leg shield back plate glove compartment. The style of the glove compartment is coordinated with the rear part of the handlebar and the saddle, recreating an area similar to a car dashboard and there is even a USB socket inside, useful for charging your smartphone. There is also a convenient, retractable bag hook in the leg shield back plate. Along the entire body of the Medley the alternating concave and convex surfaces, guided by decisive and arched lines, gives the vehicle a dynamic, but compact look.

A rear light cluster with daylight running lights achieved with red LEDs and opalescent diffraction type optics brings the shape of the vehicle to an original end. Even in night riding conditions, as with the front daylight running lights, the guided light in classic Piaggio style makes the vehicle unique and recognisable. The rear end, particularly sleek, maintains contained dimensions despite the large helmet compartment with an amazing 36.2 litres of space, enough to hold two flip up helmets, truly exceptional for a high wheel. This result is obtained thanks to the well designed shape of the tail and the repositioning of the fuel tank at the centre of the footboard. It is a solution that increased cargo capacity in the helmet compartment, providing further benefits such as the possibility of refuelling without dismounting and better rideability on the road because of the improved weight distribution, now more centralised.

ENGINES: THE NEW PIAGGIO I-GET GENERATION

Piaggio Group motoring technology has always aimed to create increasingly more advanced powerplants in terms of low fuel consumption and emissions (including noise), as well as increasing service intervals. Armed with the most important engine and scooter research and development centre in Europe, and one of the best in the world, Piaggio has developed unique technologies and skills in house that contribute to the construction of engines today which are in line with the strictest standards in the world. On Piaggio Medley a new family of engines called i-get is introduced, available in 125 and 150 cc engine with electronic fuel injection, four valve timing and liquid cooling. These are engines at the top of their respective categories in terms of performance and environmental friendliness.
The new Piaggio patented Start & Stop system called RISS (Regulator Inverter Start & Stop System) also makes its début on the new scooter. This system, the result of Piaggio's technological know-how, does away with the traditional starter motor, which is replaced by a brushless “direct mount” electrical unit, in other words, installed directly on the crankshaft. This provides several benefits: extremely quiet start-up, lighter weight and more reliability, less fuel consumption. The Piaggio Start & Stop automatically switches off the engine 3 to 7 seconds after the vehicle stops (depending on whether or not the engine has reached the correct operating temperature). A slight twist of the throttle instantly restarts the engine, in complete silence, given the absence of the traditional starter motor. If the side stand is lowered or if the tilt sensor is activated, the ECU bypasses the Start & Stop function.

The new Piaggio i-get powerplants are the result of a design philosophy that sets new and more advanced quality and reliability levels as its primary objectives. Every aspect of the design was aimed at optimising the efficiency of each individual part in order to contribute to maximising performance. In the initial testing phases alone more than one million kilometres were logged in the intense search for reliability. Each and every one of the new engines' components, from the exhaust to the internal design of the gearbox cover, all the way to the new air filter, has been designed to make the ride smoother, quieter and more comfortable, and to increase the life of the engine. A large portion of the Piaggio technical work had to do with the maniacal attention to reducing friction through the introduction of bearings on every rotating part, in the timing and in the crank gear geometry, with the cylinder axis shifted to reduce losses due to friction on the piston. The mechanical noise of the new i-get engines is also extremely low thanks to a reduction in play and an optimisation of the materials and shapes.

There are many completely new engine parts on the new family of engines that equip the Medley:

  • thermodynamics (head, cylinder, piston, rocker timing with rollers); also, all of the parts in motion have been optimised to reduce weight and operating friction.
  • the crankshaft, for a clear reduction in vibrations.
  • starter: no longer the classic gear drive starter motor, but now an electric “direct mount” type “brushless” motor on the crankshaft. The result is the total absence of friction in order to obtain a quiet, durable and reliable starter.
  • cooling system, with radiator built into the engine: this reduced the overall weight of the vehicle and the warm-up times (thermal management), with clear benefits in terms of consumption and emissions.
  • the gearbox cover, to reduce the noise even more.
  • the latest generation double toothed belt to minimise passive losses, once again all to the advantage of consumption and emissions.
  • the gearbox setting that improves rideability, performance and consumption.
  • the air filter, which improves filtering action to reduce intake noise.
  • new built-in engine electronic control unit with the S&S management part (Alternator, S&S Inverter, RISS), entirely developed by Piaggio.

The eighth-litre version is credited with power of 9 kW at 8,250 rpm, whereas the more powerful 150 cc puts out 11 kW at 7,750 rpm. These are numbers that translate into quick engines on the road, specifically designed and built bearing in mind the needs of the rider for daily use in city and metropolitan environments. These are riding conditions characterised by frequent starts and stops which require elasticity, quick acceleration and a smooth ride. These characteristics are ensured by excellent torque (11.5 Nm at 6,500 rpm for the 125 cc and 14.4 Nm at 6,400 rpm for the 150 cc) which provide Medley with excellent acceleration both from a stop and in motion, partially to the credit of the truly low overall weight. The new Piaggio Medley engines guarantee lengthy service and maintenance gaps. Fluids and filters are changed every 10,000 km and valve clearance only needs to be adjusted every 20,000 km. Overall fuel consumption benefits from the optimisation of each and every component: mileage on the WMTC cycle reaches 47.5 km/l for the Medley 125 (45.9 km/l for the Medley 150).

VERSIONS AND COLOURS

The new Piaggio medley is available in two versions. Medley and Medley S. The latter stands out for the use of the more sporty anthracite grey colour on the trim, such as the wheel rims, the passenger grab handle and the upper plastics on the footboard.

The Medley S colour variants are: Rosso Ibis, Nero Grafite and Blu Sport (all with black saddle and interior). Piaggio Medley, on the other hand, favours more traditional and elegant colours, such as Bianco Perla, Grigio Titanio (both with brown saddle and interior) and Blu Midnight (with black saddle and interior). These colour schemes are combined with aluminium colour trim (such as the wheel rims, the silencer heatshield, the passenger grab handle and the upper plastics on the footboard).

INFO:
www.piaggio.com/medley/en_EN

Product

PIAGGIO WI-BIKE
CUTTING-EDGE MOBILITY

AN INNOVATIVE VEHICLE THAT GOES BEYOND THE CONCEPT OF THE ELECTRICALLY ASSISTED BICYCLE BY OFFERING ADVANCED FUNCTIONS AND RAISING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CYCLIST, VEHICLE AND ENVIRONMENT; ALSO A SOPHISTICIATED FITNESS TOOL. THE WI-BIKE WAS DESIGNED, DEVELOPED AND IS PRODUCED ENTIRELY IN THE PIAGGIO GROUP FACILITIES IN ITALY.

Piaggio: Move Beautifully - Wi-Bike

For almost seventy years Piaggio Group has been a worldwide leader in development, production and sales of newer and newer forms of mobility. The search for solutions that combine freedom and the simplicity of travel with quality of life and respect for the environment is a mission that the Piaggio Group has always pursued.

Founded on research and technological innovation, the Piaggio Group's hold on the number one spot has been strengthened over the decades in products which have favoured the freedom of entire generations and revolutionised the concept of mobility itself several times, creating not only new means of transportation but inventing lifestyles, because mobility is always synonymous with freedom.
The Vespa legend which was born in the post war era, the most agile and lightweight mopeds of the '60s and '70s, and then electric, bimodal vehicles and finally hybrid engines – the only one of its kind in the scooter world – are milestones in a cultural and technological leadership that has always characterised Piaggio Group's vocation for innovation, with the earliest electric vehicle actually dating back to 1975.

Out of this unique heritage of style and technology, the Piaggio Wi-Bike is born, a completely new vehicle that meets the most advanced needs and the most modern mobility trends. Piaggio Wi-Bike goes beyond the concept of an assisted-pedal bicycle and approaches the market as a vehicle that interprets the most progressive mobility needs at 360 degrees, no longer intended simply as the ability to move about, but also as the presence and sharing of information over the most modern network and interaction forms with your vehicle. Thanks to PMP (Piaggio Multimedia Platform) technology, the Wi-Bike has an ultra advanced man-mechanical vehicle interface and guarantees constant data sharing with the world, giving you with the opportunity to interact from any location and with any environment in its physical, social and experience dimension.

Piaggio Wi-Bike - Still life

A “MADE IN PIAGGIO ELECTRIC HEART”
The beating heart of the Piaggio Wi-Bike is an electric drive unit entirely designed, developed and built by the Piaggio Group. It is an ultra modern and extremely compact motor with a shape designed for perfect insertion in the elegant aesthetics of the frame. In fact, its axial-symmetric shape, in other words, designed around the pedal axle, allows it to include the entire electric motor hidden behind the sprocket in order to greatly reduce the aesthetic impact. Despite the fact that the drive can develop an amazing 350W of maximum power, it is limited to 250W (and 25 km/h maximum speed) in order to fully comply with the regulation that governs pedal-assisted bicycles. This way the Piaggio Wi-Bike needs neither a registration plate nor the use of a motorcycle helmet and it can access bicycle lanes and limited traffic areas. This motor drive is capable of generating an impressive maximum torque of 50 Nm, a value that guarantees a quick response to any stress. But it is the entire powertrain (the motor, battery and control display assembly) of the Piaggio Wi-Bike that stands out for the technology it uses and for the functions it provides. Advanced algorithms developed by Piaggio guarantee an innovative control of the electric machine, all to the advantage of reliability.

The latest generation display is “contactless” and automatically powered, near the control unit, thanks to NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. The USB connection serves the dual function of being a smartphone charger and software update port. Diagnostics are also possible via smartphone by the rider, whereas for the service centre operations are possible via tablet – thanks once again to Bluetooth technology – for a more complete check.
Piaggio Wi-Bike, thanks to its technology, also stands out because of its high level of security: the dashboard control units, batteries and electric motors are connected by a unique code that is given to the customer at the time of purchase. The three units can work only if connected and dialoguing with one another: for example, removing the display (which operates as a electronic key) when parking renders the Wi-Bike effectively unusable, and a replacement display can only be ordered using the personal code.

A GPS/GSM module is housed in the battery which functions both as a satellite anti-theft device and a data transmission element from/for the battery. If the system detects an attempted vehicle theft, an alert is sent immediately via the dedicated app and the vehicle's position is tracked on the map. You can also check on the charge status with a smartphone and receive the alert notice on your device in the event of a poor charge, for example after a long period of disuse. The 400 Wh ion and lithium battery is elegantly housed under the saddle in correspondence to the vertical pipe and provides particularly long range, on average between 60 and 120 kilometres depending on the operating mode and conditions. Charging time for a full charge is just over 3 hours. The battery guarantees the highest level of safety and is completely watertight (IP rating of 65).

The Piaggio Wi-Bike uses a belt drive combined with an advanced continuous variation automatic transmission, electronically assisted to always ensure the best possible ratio between an almost infinite choice of combinations. This is a technology in line with the extraordinary technical experience of the Piaggio Group because it conceptual draws from the gearbox and transmission system used in scooters. Completing the range of available drives are a continuous variation belt drive which allows you to select the ideal ratio, shifting smoothly, and a traditional high quality, 9 speed chain final drive. The powerful braking system increases active safety, made up of two 180 mm discs on the front and 160 mm on the rear, gripped by hydraulic callipers.

CONNECTED TO THE WORLD THANKS TO THE PMP TECHNOLOGY

Thanks to the PMP (Piaggio Multimedia Platform) technology, your smartphone integrates functionally with the Wi-Bike via Bluetooth. In fact, the app developed by Piaggio specifically for the Wi-Bike allows new features to be incremented constantly. From the fine tuning of "classic" services such as navigation up to more advanced control of the powertrain operating modes over and above the base settings. In fact, conventional electrically pedal-assisted bicycles offer a limited and determined number of pedal assistance level settings with a contribution from the motor that always stays proportional to the energy applied by the cyclist once the operating mode is selected.

The Wi-Bike, thanks to the exclusive DEA technology (Dynamic Engine Assistance), allows the user to program the assistance level provided by the electric motor at a percentage that is always variable in ratio to the power provided by the cyclist.

Thanks to the possibility of varying the motor contribution, Piaggio Wi-Bike is a true fitness machine where the cyclist can set his or her physical effort (for example, 100W of effort and a determined frequency of pedalling) leaving the motor free to increase or decrease its contribution based on the altimetric variations in order to comply with the set parameters which are consistent with the training program that the rider wants to achieve. The sport cyclist can therefore train, keeping the “fatigue” high along the route; in urban commuting, on the other hand, you can choose not to exceed a maximum fatigue threshold for health reasons, or simply so that you won't work up a sweat on your way to work.

EXPERIENCES: STANDARD, CITY, HILL

Also, through the app you will be able to select the predefined power output modes throughout the arc of use, real “motor mappings”.
STANDARD: the motor develops power proportional to the effort detected on the pedals.

CITY: a boost of power at every start. To get off the line ahead of the rest effortlessly in “Stop & Go” city traffic.

HILL: the motor adapts to the slope of the road surface, developing more power uphill and less on downhill or flat sections.
Each of these motor maps can be set to ten different assist levels for efficient battery use. The PMP system, which can be controlled through your smartphone's screen, by buttons on the handlebar, is the base for virtually unlimited function developments. The features that PMP offers range in all data management directions: it goes from information on use to fitness related features that allow you to use the Piaggio Wi-Bike as a training tool to monitor your body's data and achieve goals in terms of heartbeat or calorie burning.

Wi-Bike also means “community”: at the end of each training session or simply on completing your ride, you can share the data related to the experience you've just had with your friend on the most common social networks.

PURE ITALIAN DESIGN

The elegantly sport design that sets Wi-Bike apart is the result of the Centro Stile Piaggio which worked to combine the best and most distinctive Italian design with functionality and operating convenience. Modern style, refined solutions and simplicity are the keywords that inspired the Piaggio Group designers in their work. The result takes shape in a frame made entirely in aluminium with a clearly sporty character (that holds a shock absorbed fork, also made of aluminium) available in several versions, beginning from the classic male and unisex combination.

From a stylistic point of view the challenge of seamlessly inserting the powertrain parts (electric motor, transmission and battery) into the frame was particularly successful, leaving the bicycle's lines rationally clean and undisturbed. In fact, the motor, designed around the pedal axle, remains hidden by the sprocket, whereas the battery, housed under the saddle on the horizontal pipe, can be easily removed.

The positioning of the motor-battery system (low and at the centre) also guarantees optimum weight balance, giving the Wi-Bike excellent rideability and an extremely pleasant smooth movement. And so the Piaggio Wi-Bike's attention to simplicity and user-friendliness substantiates in shapes which have been conceived with functionality in mind and as a tribute to the elegance of Italian design.

FOUR EQUIPMENT PACKAGES AVAILABLE

Piaggio Wi-Bike is available with four different equipment packages.
COMFORT: this is the entry level vehicle in the Piaggio Wi-Bike range; the easiest and most accessible for any user and available in the frame version without the top tube to make it easier to get into the saddle. It comes standard with a telescopic fork, comfort seat, adjustable handlebar connection and ergonomic hand grips. It is available in three different frame sizes to adapt perfectly to any body type. There are two drive options: traditional mechanical or manual action variable speed.
COMFORT PLUS: compared to Comfort this is a superior package which includes genuine leather ergonomic seat and hand grips, as well as some classy details such as a the chrome plating and the cream coloured tyres. There are two drive options: manual action or electronically controlled variable speed. It is available in the unisex version (frame without top crossbar and in three different sizes: S, M and L) and in the men's version (frame with top crossbar and two different sizes: M and L).

ACTIVE: this is the Piaggio Wi-Bike version with the sportiest design, combined with a minimalist style that lends itself well to being personalised. The frame is available in the men's version (frame with top crossbar) in two different sizes (M and L). Active stands out from the rest because of its three operating options: traditional mechanical, manual action variable speed and electronically controlled variable speed.

ACTIVE PLUS: the most attractive in terms of style and options, this stands out for its dedicated graphic variations and the equipment package which also includes precious leather seat and hand grips. The frame is available in the men's version (frame with top crossbar) in two different sizes (M and L). There are two different drive options: manual action or electronically controlled variable speed.

INFO:
www.piaggio.com/wi-bike/en_EN/#home

Product

NEW VESPA PRIMAVERA AND VESPA SPRINT

THE NEW AND ULTRA-MODERN PIAGGIO I-GET ENGINE NOW EQUIPS THE YOUNGEST VESPA VERSIONS: OPTIMISED PERFORMANCE, LOWER OPERATING COSTS, EXTREMELY QUIET AND EFFICIENT. VESPA PRIMAVERA AND VESPA SPRINT ALSO BOAST A GENEROUS EQUIPMENT PACKAGE AND AN ABS BRAKING SYSTEM.

Once again, Vespa confirms its technological cutting-edge, which has always distinguished it and left its mark on history, proving to be one of the most modern and safest vehicles in the world. Introducing the new versions of Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint, the two Vespa “small bodies” which are heirs to the legendary “Vespino” that charmed and transported entire generations of young people all over the world in the ’60s. They stand out for their more generous equipment package that includes a very handy USB socket, located inside the leg shield back plate compartment, and the availability of the ABS braking system, standard on the Vespa Sprint. The most important innovation comes in the form of the new Piaggio i-Get Euro4 powerplant, capable of ensuring brilliant performance, contained consumption and extremely high overall efficiency.

Vespa Primavera (i-Get Euro4).

Vespa Sprint (i-Get Euro4).

NEW I-GET ENGINE: MAXIMUM QUALITY AND RELIABILITY

On Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint, in the 125 and 150 cc engine capacity versions, the Piaggio i-Get family makes its first appearance, representing the cutting-edge of their respective engine size segments.
The new Piaggio i-Get powerplants are the result of a design philosophy that sets new and more advanced quality and reliability levels as its primary objectives. Every aspect of the design process was aimed at increasing the efficiency of each individual component, thereby working together to maximise performance and, at the same time, minimise consumption and emissions (not only polluting emissions but also sound emissions). More than one million kilometres which have already been ridden during the testing phase are a testament to the attention to quality and reliability in the development process of the new i-Get engines which, thanks to the modular nature of the project, can be provided in liquid or air cooled versions with 3 or 4 valve timing.
The new i-Get powerplants that equip Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint are ultra-modern single cylinder 4-stroke 125 and 150cc air-cooled engines with electronic injection and 3-valve timing. Each and every detail, from the exhaust to the internal design of the gearbox cover, has been designed to make the ride smoother, quieter and more comfortable. The injection system has been optimised and improved in terms of efficiency; the ECU now has a barometric sensor that guarantees optimum combustion every time in any condition of use and at any altitude. This means that the power and torque output reach new and high levels of regularity and reliability, even in the city with constant “stop and go” riding.

These engines are extremely environmentally friendly since they are approved in compliance with the Euro4 Multi-Directive, and they are capable of performance which is, as always, at the top of the category: the i-Get 125 cc has maximum power and torque that measure in respectively at 7.9 kW at 7,700 rpm and 10.4 Nm at 6,000 rpm, whereas the 150 cc reaches 9.5 kW maximum power at 7,750 rpm and 12.8 Nm maximum torque at 6,500. These are values that, along with the proverbial light weight typical of all Vespas, make this Vespa “small body” particularly quick both in city traffic and on stretches of open road. A perfectly calibrated gearbox with new and more resistant friction materials for the dry centrifugal automatic clutch contributes to this result. This brilliant performance is combined with fuel consumption values that are reduced to a minimum: the particular architecture of the engine and the solutions adopted for the various components makes 45.5 km/l possible for the 125 and 41 km/l for the 150 measured in the WMTC cycle. Thanks to a spacious, 8 litre fuel tank, Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint now boast a highly respectable travel range: 364 km can be covered with a full tank on the 125cc and 328 km with the 150cc.

The Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint i-Get powerplants are single cylinder engines, completely new both in terms of mechanical components and electronic parts. Worth a mention in more detail are:

  • the crankshaft, with 24% increased inertia compared with the previous engine for a decisive reduction in vibrations and a smoother ride;
  • the new starter motor, decidedly quieter;
  • the new gearbox cover, to reduce the noise even more and increase stiffness;
  • the barometric sensor, so that combustion is always optimised.

The exhaust system is also entirely new. The new unit makes the engine quieter and at the same time ensures a more full and pleasant timbre.

ABS AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON ALL VERSIONS

On Vespa Sprint and on the Primavera “Settantesimo” version, the ABS antilock braking now comes standard, a further technical advancement intended to increase safety. The locking up of the front wheel during intense braking or due to slippery asphalt is generally the most significant hazard for motorbike and scooter riders and passengers. The adoption of the ABS antilock braking system is triggered precisely to prevent this danger, making the ride pleasant and safe.
The front wheel has a revolution detection system – a sensor and a tone wheel – which instantly reads the speed and deceleration of the wheel with respect to that of the vehicle. The sensor dialogues with an electro hydraulic control unit, which activates the ABS system if the wheel decelerates abruptly, preventing locking and the consequent loss of control over the vehicle, thereby guaranteeing stability, vehicle control and efficient braking even on low friction coefficient surfaces such as wet or dirty asphalt.
This sophisticated safety system, developed specifically for the Vespa Primavera and Vespa Spring, can also boast being lightweight, leaving the kerb weight virtually unchanged. The ABS system contributes to raising the already high safety level that the Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint guarantee, thanks to their sturdy frame. The painstaking care taken in designing its components has resulted in previously unseen levels of rigidity, but without compromising the weight of the structure. Compared to Vespa LX and Vespa S (the models which Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint replaced respectively), the body is 36% more rigid and the longitudinal flexion has increased by an incredible 154%. The advantages are tangible in terms of safety and riding pleasure on the road, where riders will discover a Vespa with dynamic qualities and exceptional stability and handling. Other contributors to road safety are the generous wheel rim sizes on both the Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint.

The small engine capacity versions of Vespa Primavera and Vespa Sprint (50 cc 2-stroke and 50 cc 4-stroke with 4-valve timing) also come with the USB socket located in the leg shield back plate compartment.
VERSIONS AND COLOURS. The new Vespa Primavera comes in the 125 and 150cc engine capacity versions, available in four colour schemes: Rosso Dragon (with beige saddle); Nero Vulcano (with red saddle); Midnight Blue (with beige saddle); and Montebianco (with red saddle). Vespa Primavera is also available in the Touring version, a special equipment package characterised by a front and rear luggage rack, both chromium plated which, as the most classic Vespa iconography shows, considerably increase the cargo capacity and prepare the most beloved scooter in the world for any adventurous voyage. Also included in the Touring package are the new Marrone Crete Senesi colour scheme, the elegant fairing and the dedicated plate.

The new Vespa Sprint is available in two versions: Vespa Sprint (with the 125 cc displacement engine) and Vespa Sprint S (with the 125 and 150 cc displacement engines), the latter characterised by an attractive Titanium Grey colour scheme with dedicated graphics and black painted rims. For Vespa Sprint 125 there are five colour schemes: Rosso Dragon, Nero Lucido, Montebianco, Giallo Positano and Blu Gaiola, all with a black saddle.

WIDE RANGE OF ACCESSORIES. As always in the history of Vespa, the new Primavera offers a wide range of accessories to customise your vehicle and improve riding comfort. We’ll discover them in the forthcoming issue of Wide magazine.

INFO:
www.vespa.com/en_EN.html

Product

THE PIAGGIO GROUP ENTERS THE
INDIAN SCOOTER MARKET WITH THE
APRILIA BRAND: THE SPORTY SR 150 IS COMING

THE INDIAN SCOOTER SEGMENT IS THE LARGEST MARKET IN THE WORLD WITH SHIPMENTS OF ALMOST 5 MILLION VEHICLES IN 2015 AND GROWTH OF 20% IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2016.

APRILIA SR 150 – OFFICIAL VIDEO

Milan, 14 July 2016The Piaggio Group continues to expand on fast-growing high-volume markets, with the entry on to the Indian scooter market with the Aprilia brand. Over the next few days, marketing will begin of the Aprilia SR 150 sports scooter in India, whose scooter segment is the largest market in the world, with annual shipments of almost five million vehicles in 2015 and growth of 20% in the first half of 2016 compared with the year-earlier period.
After the success of the Ape and the positioning of the Vespa in the premium segment of the Indian market, we are further strengthening our offer in the subcontinent with the entry on to the Indian market of the Aprilia SR 150 scooter,” said Piaggio Group Chairman and CEO Roberto Colaninno. “This vehicle is an excellent expression of the Noale manufacturer’s sport expertise and offers technological and style features superior to those of its direct competitors in its segment.”

Sachsenring, Germany, 14 July 14 2016, in the box of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini: the riders Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl with the new sportbike scooter SR 150, on the eve of the MotoGP Grand Prix.

The rider Alvaro Bautista posing with the new Aprilia SR 150. In the pictures below: test ride on the Sachsenring track where runs the MotoGP.

The Aprilia SR 150 will be sold at a competitive price of 65,000 rupees (approximately 880 euro), thereby positioning itself in a segment that is growing even faster than the Indian scooter market as a whole and enabling the Piaggio Group to pursue an industrial and commercial strategy that includes lighter sports engines, in line with the best tradition that has ensured the success of the Aprilia brand since it first entered the market.

SPORTY SOUL, TOP PERFORMANCE. The Aprilia SR 150 combines the feel of a sports bike with the ease of use of a scooter; it was designed and engineered in Italy and built in the Piaggio Group’s Baramati facility, in the state of Maharashtra. With all the typical features of the brand’s unmistakable sporty personality, the Aprilia SR 150 has an aggressive, sporty style and delivers performance at the top end of its category thanks to its modern dynamic 4-stroke, single-cylinder 150cc engine. Aesthetically, a distinguishing characteristic are the large 14” five-spoke wheels, whose decisive racing design echoes Aprilia’s competition bikes, stars of the MotoGP circuits.

The new Aprilia SR 150 addresses a modern, dynamic, internationally oriented target, a new generation of young Indians who are driving economic and social growth and change in the country. Aprilia’s sporty soul, formed in the top motor-racing championships and reflected in 54 world titles, is an accurate expression of this generation’s ambitions and personality.

The Aprilia SR 150 will become available for purchase in August, but it can already be booked through the Piaggio Group dealer network.

Product
PASSENGERS RANGE

PIAGGIO APE’: CITY AND ROMANZA
FOR AFRICA & SOUTH AMERICA

NEW VERSIONS OF THE EVERGREEN THREE-WHEELER, FOR THE MOBILITY NEEDS OF PEOPLE IN EMERGING COUNTRIES. AGILE AND RELIABLE ON ALL ROADS, THE NEW MODELS OFFER EXCELLENT “VALUE FOR MONEY” IN THEIR RESPECTIVE MARKET CATEGORIES.

APE’ CITY – OFFICIAL VIDEO

The Ape never fails to surprise: true to itself, yet always able to evolve in response to passenger and cargo mobility needs. In the almost 70 years of its long life (the three-wheeler made its debut in Italy in 1948), it has always provided a “smart” mobility service around the world: a familiar sight in dozens of countries in every continent, the hard-working and tireless three-wheeler has helped and continues to help the sustainable growth of small local businesses, from artisans to farmers, taxi drivers, tour operators.

APE’ ROMANZA – OFFICIAL VIDEO

The Ape has been a commercial success for decades, thanks to its well-known strengths: robustness, reliability, low fuel consumption and maintenance costs, “Italian style” design and a unique “heritage” in its category. The two new versions – City and Romanza – are both intended for passenger transport services, and have been developed and produced with the focus on technological evolution and design.

NEW APE’ CITY: NO LIMITS

The new version accentuates the vehicle’s distinctive characteristics, offering improvements at every level, especially technical and design. These include performance, reliability, exterior design, interiors, comfort, safety, quality. Robust, safe, durable and cost-effective (reduced fuel consumption and low maintenance costs, in line with the principle: the more you save, the more you gain), the new Apé City is the ideal vehicle for urban commuting and travel between the city suburbs and outlying areas.

This is a vehicle with a truly indispensable “mission” in many countries of Africa and South America, where public services are not available throughout these vast regions. Taxi drivers are the ideal customers for the new Apé City (which is also suitable for private commuting), which offers enhanced capacity to manoeuvre significant inclines (as much as 24% for the City High Slope). This vehicle knows no limits, and is able to cope with the most difficult roads and dirt tracks to reach the populations of the residential and rural areas farthest from the main transport networks. Comfort for both drivers and passengers is guaranteed, even when travelling for hundreds of miles. Less stress, greater comfort and safety.

Technology and design made in Italy are combined with rigorous tests: dozens of vehicles were used for stringent duration and reliability tests, 500,000 km on road (8,000 on sett paving) and 2,000 hours at the test bench.

Test for Apé City and Romanza on the test track, within the Piaggio plants in Italy (in Pontedera, Tuscany).

The new Apé City (200cc displacement, available in various fuel versions: petrol, diesel, GPL and methane) comes in a large range of colours.

NEW APE’ ROMANZA: ITALIAN LEGEND

The “Calessino” version of the Ape, an evolution of Piaggio’s fortunate three-wheel vehicle, has a long and noble tradition: for decades it has been the “neatest” vehicle for passenger transport in tourist resorts and on the Italian and European islands.
The new Apé “Romanza” convertible three-wheeler, for the African & South American markets, is intended specifically for resorts and hotels, and is also the ideal solution for events and on-the-road communication campaigns.

With smart new interiors and a new on-board instrument panel, the “Romanza” features a 200cc 4-stroke 4-gear petrol engine and can handle inclines of up to 22%; it offers low fuel consumption and maintenance costs, reliability and comfort for the driver and two passengers.

Colours: red, white and blue.

INFO:
www.piaggioveicolicommerciali.it

ACCESSORIES

A WIDE RANGE OF ACCESSORIES
DEDICATED TO PIAGGIO MEDLEY

The line of accessories for Piaggio Medley is born under the sign of technology at the service of functionality. It is a complete line of accessories designed for the Piaggio Medley which increase comfort and potential uses.

The lines, materials and refinement of the windshield give the new Piaggio scooter the best possible protection against the weather, also accentuating the elegance of its shape. The smaller top fairing highlights the spirit and sporty character of the Medley. Great attention was given to cargo capacity. To match the spacious helmet compartment, Piaggio offers the classic 30 litre top box, spacious enough for 2 Piaggio Style helmets, and the brand new 37 litre top box that further extends the maximum cargo capacity. Both of the top boxes are naturally available colour coded to match the vehicle and can be fitted with a passenger backrest.

To guarantee maximum safety, the anti-slip mat can be installed. The dedicated leg cover is the ideal completion for those who ride year round. On the other hand, for those who do not use the scooter in the winter, a waterproof vehicle cover is available, dedicated and personalised with the logo, which has specific openings for the windshield and the optional top box. The line of accessories does not neglect the theme of vehicle security: the mechanical saddle-handlebar anti-theft system available for Medley is convenient and simple to use. The innovative electronic anti-theft system, which is self powered and characterised by the lowest power absorption on the market, adds the immobilizer deterrent and a powerful siren to combat any attempt at tampering.

FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY. On Medley several technologically advanced systems can be installed simultaneously, such as the bike finder (to find your vehicle quickly in crowded areas and to open the saddle using the remote control), the Piaggio Sound System (a sound system to reproduce information, trip directions or music, using the body of the vehicle as a diffuser) and the Piaggio Multimedia Platform.

This last item is the exclusive Piaggio multimedia platform that lets you connect your smartphone to Medley via Bluetooth, thereby obtaining even more trip information, as well as vehicle status information, in addition to a convenient geo-localisation system that makes it easy to locate your scooter even in the most chaotic areas of the city. The PMP application can also indicate engine rpm, instantaneous power and torque values, the lean angle achieved on turns, instant and average fuel consumption and the battery voltage. It also automatically provides directions to the closest petrol station when you are low on fuel, as well as indications on how to ride in order to achieve the best possible fuel consumption. All of the information displayed can then be analysed and downloaded to your computer later. No other vehicle on the market today can be equipped with the same technological features guaranteed by the Piaggio accessories range.

HELMETS COLLECTION. The final touch for a perfect customization is the Piaggio Style model helmet, demi jet, available in various colours, coordinated with the liveries of Medley.

INFO:
www.piaggio.com/medley/en/en/index.html

ACCESSORIES

PIAGGIO WI-BIKE
COLLECTION OF DEDICATED ACCESSORIES

The wide range of special accessories offers a host of solutions to enhance the innovative Piaggio Wi-Bike, in both the Active and Comfort versions, depending on your preferences and needs: a collection of superlative quality, design, attention to detail.

THE ACCESSORISED PIAGGIO WI-BIKE ACTIVE.

Multi-purpose bags in high-strength technical fabric, with splash-resistant zips and integrated rain hood for use in all weather conditions; a “Flow” helmet with its revolutionary design, to be worn in any season thanks to its innovative system of removable panels.

Plus: real leather gloves; “Journey” & “Style” set of accessories in real leather, handmade in Italy: handlebar bag with shoulder strap, saddlebag, side panniers, saddle and handgrips. And also, rear luggage rack, comfort saddle, handgrips with turn indicators, smartphone holder, tyre repair kit, plug-in chain and mechanical frame lock.

THE ACCESSORISED PIAGGIO WI-BIKE COMFORT PLUS.

INFO:
www.piaggio.com/wi-bike/en_EN/accessories

ACCESSORIES

STYLISH GRAPHICS
FOR THE VESPA PRIMAVERA, SPRINT, GTS

The wide selection of original accessories in the new “Vespa Accessories 2016” catalogue offers countless “creative” ideas for enthusiasts to customise their Vespa scooter with a distinctive touch of style. New entries include the “graphics” kits in the Elegance and Sport versions.

“ELEGANCE” GRAPHICS KIT FOR THE VESPA PRIMAVERA AND GTS: the adhesives kit with “Elegance” graphics has been designed to give your Vespa Primavera a touch of luxury quickly and simply. The stickers are applied to the front shield and the side panels. Colours: anthracite-black; silver-gold; silver-anthracite.

“SPORT” GRAPHICS KIT FOR THE VESPA SPRINT AND GTS SUPER: designed to enhance the feisty personality of the Vespa Sprint and Vespa GTS Super, this adhesives kit is made in high-quality PVC to resist exposure to atmospheric agents, the sun and washing. Colours: black-red; red; silver; blue; anthracite-orange; anthracite-silver for the Sprint; and black-red, anthracite-orange and anthracite-silver for the GTS Super.

STEERING COVER: another new accessory is the steering cover for the Vespa Sprint, available in matt black or matt grey, to emphasise the scooter’s sporty look. The cover can be matched with the suspension cover to give the vehicle a personalised finish, and completed with the easy-to-install black side stand.

Among the many other ideas in the catalogue: luggage carriers and chrome or black protectors, transparent or smoked flyscreens, bags, top boxes, saddles. Personalising your Vespa has never been so much fun!

INFO:
www.vespa.com/en_EN

Event

THE PIAGGIO GROUP AND (RED) TOGETHER
IN THE BATTLE AGAINST AIDS

VESPA DRESSES IN RED TO SUPPORT THE GLOBAL FUND. ROBERTO COLANINNO: “COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO OUTSTANDING GLOBAL ORGANISATIONS”.

From left: Bill Gates (Founder and Honorary President of Microsoft; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and Michele Colaninno (Piaggio & C. SpA Board of Directors; Piaggio Fast Forward Chairman of the Board; CEO and General Manager of the holding company Immsi) along with the (Vespa ) RED.

Rome, 27 June 2016 – The Piaggio Group and (RED) announce the start of a partnership in support of raising funds to finance programmes that battle against AIDS. Attending the event that launched collaboration between Piaggio and (RED) was also Bill Gates who, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is one of the main global protagonists in the battle for health and wellbeing in developing countries.

The announcement of the partnership with the Piaggio Group on the (RED) FB page (nearly 4 million likes). From left: Bill Gates, Deborah Dugan, CEO of (RED), and Michele Colaninno posing with the Vespa 946 red livery.

It will be Vespa, the most beloved and famous two-wheeler brand in the world, that develops a (RED) vehicle. From the sale of each unit, $150 (USD) will go toward supporting the activities of the Global Fund for the battle against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Two prestigious brands, recognised all over the world, combine forces in the battle for a world where no child will be born with the HIV virus.

“The partnership with (RED), one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, represents another concrete commitment by Piaggio in this area – the Piaggio Group CEO and MD, Roberto Colaninno, emphasises – We are happy and proud to have been chosen by (RED) to represent the mobility sector as one of their partners. This will be a global collaboration between two organisations recognised all over the world as symbols of professionalism and excellence.”

The Vespa (RED) that will be presented in its definitive form at the next Eicma show (Milan, from 10 to 13 November 2016) was on display in Rome as a sneak peek during a Global Fund event at the National Institute of Health. The Vespas that are manufactured in partnership with (RED) will be sold in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and the United States. The first group of Vespa (RED) vehicles will go on sale in December 2016, to coincide with (RED)’s Shopathon campaign.

Deborah Dugan, CEO (RED), said: “We’re honoured to have Piaggio join the AIDS fight with the launch of their iconic (Vespa) RED that will raise money to support the critical work of the Global Fund.”

With more than 18 million vehicles sold around the world since 1946, Vespa is a unique case in the history of individual mobility. First introduced as the vehicle that would re-launch. Europe in the post war era, it has become a symbol of freedom, uniting different generations all over the five continents and today it is a globally recognised icon of Italian style. The Piaggio Group has historically been sensitive to the problems connected with protecting the health of children. An example of this is the recent Vespa For Children initiative, an international charity that, in collaboration with the “Bambino Gesù” Hospital of Rome, paved the way for a medical-surgical programme at the National Hospital For Pediatrics of Hanoi in Vietnam.

PIAGGIO GROUP

www.piaggiogroup.com/en

VESPA

www.vespa.com/en_EN

(RED)

Founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver, (RED) has contributed $350 million (USD) to the Global Fund in the battle against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These funds have arrived in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia, with 100% of the resources destined to activities on site. (RED)'s support for the Global Fund has had an impact on more than 70 million people with prevention, treatment and consulting operations, as well as HIV tests and assistance services.
www.red.org

Event

PIAGGIO WI-BIKE BY APRILIA RACING
IN THE MOTOGP PADDOCK

RIDERS BRADL AND BAUTISTA TRY OUT A SPECIAL VERSION OF THE LATEST ADVANCED MOBILITY ENTRY FROM THE PIAGGIO GROUP.

From the unique heritage of style and technology of the Piaggio Group comes the Piaggio Wi-Bike, a completely new vehicle that meets the most advanced needs and the latest mobility trends and is much more than an electrically assisted bicycle. In the MotoGP paddock, personnel and fans had the chance to admire a robust racing-style version, the ideal vehicle for the riders and mechanics to get around during the race weekend. This is the Wi-Bike by Aprilia Racing, one of the most victorious racing departments ever thanks to 54 world titles conquered in the various two-wheel motorsport disciplines.

The characteristics of the Wi-Bike, perfectly in line with the technology and innovation values Aprilia expresses in its MotoGP activities, are enhanced at first glance by an exclusive colour combination: silver and fluorescent red for the frame and mechanics, strongly reminiscent of the livery of the RS-GP machines ridden on the track by Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders competing in the 2016 MotoGP championship.

From a technical viewpoint, the customised version has new tyres for this specific use, disc brakes on both wheels and an electronics system remapped to emphasise the acceleration provided by the electric drive for the short trips inside the paddock.

The 400 Wh ion and lithium battery is elegantly housed under the saddle behind the vertical tube and provides particularly long range, on average between 60 and 120 kilometres depending on operating mode and conditions.

The full recharge time is just over 3 hours. The battery guarantees the highest level of safety and is completely watertight (IP 65). The Piaggio Wi-Bike uses a belt drive combined with an advanced continuous variation automatic transmission, electronically assisted to ensure the best possible ratio from a large choice of combinations.
The Wi-Bike by Aprilia Racing made its debut at the Italian GP at the Mugello racetrack in May, attracting great interest: an irresistible attraction for the many Aprilia fans who photographed the new vehicle in their selfies.

Event
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

VESPA “PROFESSOR” OF
VISUAL IDENTITY & COMMUNICATION

“UNSW PIAGGIO PROJECT” IS A SPECIAL COURSE AT THE FACULTY OF ART & DESIGN, CREATED IN COOPERATION WITH THE PADDINGTON CAMPUS. THE CHALLENGE FOR THE STUDENTS IS TO DESIGN CREATIVE PROJECTS TO ENHANCE THE ICONIC ITALIAN SCOOTER AND BOOST ITS PERCEPTION AND APPEAL.

Images from the concept by Jessica Hombre (UNSW Australia Art & Design); Visual Identity module for the academic course centred on the Vespa.

IN THE CLASSROOM WITH THE VESPA. Characterised by a stable economy and growing population, Australia is a strategic market for Piaggio to invest in and offer opportunities for young creative talents. With a strong emotional heritage associated with its Italian spirit rooted in style and elegance, the iconic Vespa brand has reported worldwide growth for decades, establishing a distinctive leadership in the international scooter sector. Australia with its unique cultural personality and lifestyle may seem unresponsive to Europe’s behavioural and emotional canons. Given this situation, Nicola Capello, Area Manager Australia & New Zealand (part of the Piaggio Group’s Piaggio Asia Pacific 2 Wheeler division), and his team have established a cooperation agreement with the faculty of Art & Design of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, involving more than 300 second- and third-year students.

The young creative undergraduates have been asked to develop design concepts that communicate visually how the Vespa is part of contemporary Australian life, in order to raise its appeal and perception, and create effective “visual messages” for the various consumer targets. The result is a specific course, the “UNSW Piaggio Project”, developed jointly with the faculty to meet academic requirements, subdivided into two Graphics Media specialisations: the “Visual Identity” module and the “Visual Communication” module.

AN EXPLOSION OF CREATIVITY, AND AWARDS FOR THE BEST PROJECTS

Image from the project by Kaitlin Polkinghorne (UNSW Australia Art & Design); Visual Identity module.

The unique nature of the project, based on close cooperation between Piaggio and the university, has generated close ties with the students, raising the visibility and awareness of the Vespa brand and stimulating increased interest in the Piaggio Group. The students had the opportunity to work directly with the company team, developing targeted creative concepts that reveal enthusiasm, emotions, passion and great interest in the Vespa world.

Image from the project by Niklas Gustavsson (UNSW Australia Art & Design); Visual Identity module.

Brand visibility and the importance of the brand for the end consumer, considering the various reference targets, from the young hipster to the eco-aware commuter and the evergreen traveller, are some of the key elements that have provided inspiration. The project has also involved the design of original accessories relating to the characteristic lifestyle of the Australian client, such as the “surfboard carrier” or personalised Vespa graphics.

The course began in February 2016 and has been completed by the “Visual Identity” students with the preparation of more than 150 concepts; the second module, “Visual Communication”, will finish at the end of June. At the end of the course, the three finalist projects will be announced, selected by a joint Piaggio-UNSW team. Their authors will “win” a two-month internship working with the Piaggio Group’s Australian team, gaining valuable experience. We’ll find out about the three winning projects in the next issue of Wide. In the meantime, let’s enjoy some of the concepts developed by the students on the Visual Identity module in the images and galleries in this article.

Image taken from the River Le Drifter project (UNSW Australia Art & Design); Visual Identity module.

MORE INFO ON UNSW ART & DESIGN WEBSITE; NEWS: ICONIC VESPA DESIGN ADAPTED FOR NEW 21ST CENTURY MARKETS. Italian design masters at the classic Piaggio brand have challenged UNSW Art & Design students to adapt and tailor scooter designs synonymous with everything the world loves about Italy.
www.artdesign.unsw.edu.au/whats-on/news/iconic-vespa-design-adapted-for-new-21st-century-markets

Event

EVENTS IN PARIS
FOR THE VESPA’S 70TH

Important events have been organised in Paris recently to celebrate the Vespa’s 70TH anniversary. Piaggio France and “Urgence Scooters”, a leading dealer, have promoted a series of interesting initiatives for the occasion: a retrospective presenting exceptional images from the Paris Match magazine, with celebrated movie stars such as Natalie Wood, John Wayne, Brigitte Bardot and Paul Newman photographed with legendary Vespa models; a presentation of the new “Vespa 70” limited edition (in the Primavera, GTS and PX models), a concentrate of Italian technology and style.

In addition, three new showrooms have been opened in Paris – Urgence Scooters Bastille (boulevard Beaumarchais), Urgence Scooters Porte de St. Cloud (rue Claude Terrasse) and La Clinique du scooter in the 13TH arrondissement (boulevard de l’Hôpital) – all of them located in the heart of the capital and designed to replicate the style of the Piaggio Group’s Motoplex flagship stores in the world’s leading metropolitan areas: Milan, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, Pune.

URGENCE PARIS BASTILLE OPENING

During May and June, customers, journalists, VIPs, devotees and Vesparados (from the Vespa Club de France and Paris-Ile de France) roamed from one event to another, enjoying the itinerant photo exhibition on the cinema in the various showrooms, to celebrate the birthday of the Vespa, an undisputed icon for 70 years, cherished by the French and by Parisians in particular.

PARIS 13ÈME LA CLINIQUE DU SCOOTER OPENING

URGENCE PORTE DE ST. CLOUD OPENING

INFO:
www.vespa.com/fr_FR
www.urgence-scooters.com

MARKETS

PIAGGIO GROUP STRENGTHENS POSITION IN SOUTH AMERICA
WITH THE VESPA AND PIAGGIO BRANDS

AGREEMENTS SIGNED IN ARGENTINA, BRAZIL AND URUGUAY. AN ADDITIONAL MARKETING PROGRAM IS PLANNED FOR MEXICO, ECUADOR AND COLOMBIA.

Milan, 07 July 2016 – The Piaggio Group said that in the last few days it had signed important marketing agreements for the Vespa and Piaggio brands on the South American market.
Already present in some South American regions, the scooters are now to be sold in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Over the next few months, an additional marketing program is planned for Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia.

“Having implemented expansion in Asia, we are now targeting a return as key players in South America,” said Piaggio Group Chairman and CEO Roberto Colaninno (see archive’s photo below, ed.). “Through these important marketing agreements we are opening up to a flourishing and constantly growing market, which we have yet to explore in depth. The local markets were the first to ask us to bring the Vespa back to their regions and we believe this move for expansion and growth will also be a step towards creating new opportunities for our other brands.”

By the end of 2016, the Group plans to open four Motoplex concept stores in Brazil, specifically in the southern district of São Paulo (SP), in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), in Curitiba (PR) in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MG).

In Brazil, the scooter segment is enjoying a period of particularly strong growth, with sales rising by 60% between 2009 and 2015 to 300,000 vehicles, accounting for 18% of total motorized two-wheeler sales.

View of San Paulo of Brazil, the state capital. It boasts some firsts: it is the most populous city in the country (over 11 million inhabitants), the largest and most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere and among the most populous by far in both hemispheres. In the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo is home to over 20 million people, so it is the third metropolitan area for the inhabitants of the globe.

INFO:
www.piaggiogroup.com


www.motoplexpiaggio.com

MARKETS
LARGE FLEETS

ROME: ENJOY LAUNCHES SCOOTER SHARING
SCHEME WITH THE PIAGGIO MP3

AFTER MILAN, THE ITALIAN CAPITAL WELCOMES THE 3-WHEEL SCOOTER-SHARING SCHEME. THE SERVICE ALSO OPERATES IN TURIN, FLORENCE AND CATANIA

Enjoy - Piaggio MP3

Rome, 10 June 2016 – Enjoy has announced the launch in Rome of the free-floating scooter-sharing service, organised in partnership with the Piaggio Group and Trenitalia. So now the Italian capital has joined the age of vehicle sharing. The scheme was presented in the Congress Hall of Palazzo Mattei, attended by the Eni R&M and Chemicals Sales & Marketing Director, Paolo Grossi, the Piaggio Group Strategic Innovation Director, Luca Sacchi, and Ernesto Sicilia from Trenitalia.

Three hundred Piaggio MP3 three-wheel scooters (300LT Business ABS version) will form the fleet made available for Rome’s residents. The vehicles, designed and developed through close cooperation between Eni and the Piaggio Group for the scooter’s specific use in a sharing scheme, guarantee safety, ease of use and simple management of the vehicle: limitation of top speed to 90 km/h, two helmets in the compartment below the saddle, and mono-use hygienic helmet liners.

The MP3 Enjoy scooters may be ridden with an Italian A and B class driving licence (as from the age of 21 for the A and B licences, or an A2 licence as from 21 if the licence was obtained before 19 January 2013), and with foreign licences recognised by the Enjoy service. The new users can register via app or on the enjoy.eni.com website, while existing registered users need only update their profile to enable the new service. In both cases, to complete the procedure, they will be required to complete viewing of a video tutorial, which provides information for correct use of the scooter.

Once the rider has reached destination, the red MP3 scooters can be left in any designated space within the area of 52 km2 in the city centre covered by the scheme, thus increasing vehicle availability in the areas of greatest demand, simplifying movements and parking, and easing traffic flows. Parking is free in the reserved scooter bays inside Rome and in the special areas in the Eni Stations in the city.

Roman Holidays: Enjoy.

The scooter also arrives in Rome: Enjoy the sun!

Another new development for users in Rome will be the absence of the on-board computer beneath the saddle: for the first time, use of the scooter will be entirely managed by an app: from booking the scooter, to unlocking it by keying in the pin number and through to the end of the rental. This technological update will gradually be extended to all the vehicles in the Enjoy fleet, in all the cities where the service is available (Milan, Turin, Florence and, as from 13 June, Catania).

With the arrival of the three hundred Piaggio MP3 scooters, the Enjoy fleet now has a total of 900 vehicles, including automobiles, to offer an even wider choice of shared sustainable mobility solutions to people in Rome, city users and users with foreign driving licences. To date, two and a half years since the service was launched, Milan, Rome, Florence and Turin together have registered more than 470,000 members and handled 7,700,000 rentals. If assistance is needed, users can call a special free-phone number available on a 24/7 basis: 800.900.505. To find out about new services and other partnerships, and to share photos, suggestions and experiences in real time, go to Enjoy’s Facebook and Twitter profiles. Enjoy the ride!

INFO:
enjoy.eni.com/en/roma/home

THE LAUNCH IN CATANIA: THE FIRST CITY IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Catania, 13 June 2016 – Mayor Enzo Bianco announced the arrival in Catania of the Enjoy free-floating vehicle-sharing system developed by ENI in partnership with Fiat, the Piaggio Group and Trenitalia, during a press conference in the Bellini Room in “Palazzo degli Elefanti” (Catania city hall); the conference was attended by Salvatore Sardo (ENI Chief Refining & Marketing and Chemicals Officer), Luca Sacchi (Head of Strategic Innovation at Piaggio Group), Stefano Cesini (Fiat FCA Marketing Officer for the EMEA area) and Ernesto Sicilia of Trenitalia.

Catania is the first city in southern Italy, and the fifth Italian city after Milan, Rome, Florence and Turin to revamp local mobility with the new Enjoy sharing experience, in connection with the public notice issued by the city council to promote new car/scooter-sharing services as a way to reduce the number of private vehicles, ease traffic and improve the quality of life for residents, visitors and people who work in the city. The Enjoy fleet in Catania will consist of 200 vehicles, 170 Fiat 500s and 30 Piaggio MP3 scooters, which riders can leave within the 30 sq. km area covered by the service once they have finished using them.

LUCA SACCHI’S VIDEO COMMENT
DI LUCA SACCHI

Video’s English translation. Interviewer: “After Milan, Enjoy is coming to Rome and Catania, putting the Piaggio Mp3 at the service of the users. What does the important Enjoy initiative mean in general terms? And what does it mean for Piaggio in particular?” Luca Sacchi, Head of Strategic Innovation at the Piaggio Group, reply: “Well, generally speaking, Enjoy is a very important and ambitious project for Piaggio, because it's the first project where Piaggio makes a full-scale entry into the services world, of use rather than ownership. This is a new form of mobility, where Piaggio wants to play a leading role. Piaggio is the smartest urban mobility solution, so it fits in particularly well with the sharing concept. The Mp3 scooters are unique vehicles in this sense too, because they offer safety, they provide all the technological features in terms of vehicle dynamics, the three wheels, the ability to absorb surface problems in any weather conditions as well as the ability to be robust vehicles that are very easy to ride, because they are self-balancing. As far as the service itself is concerned, we believe that in future there will be a series of user options not just one, not just for the buyer or for people using the sharing service, there will be many needs, people have needs that lie at the heart of their decisions and mobility, that are the core element of their mobililty decision. So if someone comes into a city by train obviously they will choose a vehicle on a sharing scheme, or someone commuting from farther out from the suburbs, which is often the case for Mp3 customers will use the scooter in this way. For us it's important to be there in all the possible options and so make sure that Piaggio vehicles are an integral part of personal mobility in the widest possible sense, and from that perspective, I think that scooter sharing probably even more than car sharing gives an idea of modernity and is a really new concept. Expansion is inevitable, expansion in Rome, which is an extremely important city for the scooter, where the Mp3 can, in our view, be an excellent product for the type of city where the road surfaces are bumpy, there are many variables in terms of road surface and so on. It would be an extraordinary option, and perhaps people still don't fully grasp its potential. So this is also an excellent way for people who live in Rome to come into contact with this vehicle and see how it can be successful in a city like this. It's very interesting in a city such as Catania because this is expansion in a city that, let's say, does not offer such a wide range of these types of service, so it shifts to become the centre of attention for mobility since it is the first city in Sicily to adopt a vehicle sharing scheme. Here too, we think the Mp3 is a very interesting vehicle given that in southern Italy it does not have the market penetration it could have. We believe that once customers try it out they will be very satisfied with the vehicle. We always have this sort of feedback on the fact that people perhaps don't understand it looking at it but once they start using it, they are very unlikely to change. So from this viewpoint too; and also to offer a really new mobility option we think is extremely intelligent, very forward looking, one that completes the Piaggio offer not just the mobility offer.”

INFO:
enjoy.eni.com/en/catania/home

Markets
FROM AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA

OVERSEAS IMPORTERS IN TUSCANY
FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW APE’ CITY AND ROMANZA

The historic Medici Villa in Artimino, also known as “La Ferdinanda” or the villa of one hundred chimneys, is a 17th-century gem set on a knoll facing the eponymous medieval village, part of the municipality of Carmignano (Prato), in the heart of Tuscany. For years, the stately building has been a well-known location for congresses and events, as well as home to the local archaeological museum. This was the fascinating setting chosen by Piaggio Veicoli Commerciali for the presentation to its overseas importers of the new Apé City and Apé Romanza passenger vehicles, intended specifically for markets in Africa and South America. The launch organised in India at the beginning of the year by the subsidiary Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited (PVPL) for Asian dealers and importers, was followed by the presentation event in Italy in May (16 and 17) for the importers on these key markets, managed directly by the 3-4 Wheeler EMEA and Emerging Markets division: the Tuscan villa hosted businessmen from Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kuwait, Indonesia, Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco, Djibouti.

The two-day event was a packed round of meetings and test rides. It was also an important opportunity to meet the Piaggio Commercial Vehicles team: in addition to the presentation of the details of the new vehicles and road tests, the importers had a direct encounter with the corporate organisation that provides them with support from marketing and communication to sales, aftersales service, spare parts and technical assistance, logistics, down to the training sessions and meetings for the employees of the network of dealers managed by the importers. Numerous events have been organised in recent months with more than 300 technical personnel taking part (from Honduras, Ethiopia, Peru and Paraguay), and are due to continue in Africa (in July) and South America (where an international meeting will be held in November). Other support tools include documentation, videos, newsletters, manuals, online catalogues, regular conference calls, etc.

The partnership between Piaggio Commercial Vehicles/Piaggio Group and the importers is of great value in achieving the common goal of growing together on markets where the growing mobility needs of people living in huge territories, not reached by road networks or public services, find an effective solution in the three-wheel vehicles of the Apé range, the heir to products that have been transporting goods and people in many countries for almost seventy years. Tradition, experience, competence and brand strength combined with continuous aesthetic and technological improvement. The new City and Romanza models confirm this.

PRIZES FOR THE TOP IMPORTERS

The Villa Artimino meeting was also an opportunity to pay tribute to the top importers and distributors of the Piaggio Commercial Vehicles range on the 3-4 W EMEA and Emerging Markets: director Vincenzo Scardigno and Sergio Rubino (Head of 3-4W Overseas Markets) presented prizes to recognise the excellent performance of: Tagrow Business PLC (Ethiopia), “Best Market Share Africa 2015”; Pelican Motors LTD (Somalia), “Outstanding Sales Growth 2015”; Central Americana de Distribution Cadisa (Guatemala) “Best Market Share Latin America 2015”; Italgama S.a.s. (Colombia), “Best Practice Cargo Business 2015”.

APEWAY ETHIOPIA:
SETTING NEW RECORDS

On the subject of top performances, during the event a video was projected on the extraordinary adventure of the Taurinorum Team and three Piaggio Ape vans in 2015. As the team crossed Ethiopia, they provided support for the initiatives of NGOs that assist the local population by promoting road safety and also setting a record: the Ape is the first three-wheel vehicle ever to cross the Omo Valley. The expedition was backed by Piaggio Commercial Vehicles and the Ethiopian importer Tagrow, in cooperation with the Italian Embassy in Addis Ababa. New ventures (and new records) are already being planned: there is no lack of countries to host them, to judge by the enthusiasm with which the African and Central-South American importers responded to the video on the Taurinorum Team shown at the meeting. Take a look at it here:

ApeWay Ethiopia

Articles and reports on the ApeWay Ethiopia expedition are published in Wide Magazine:
wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive/
wide1_16/scooter/index_en.html#/Adventure

wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive/
wide6_15/scooter/index_en.html#/Adventure

Markets
“LARGE ACCOUNTS”/1

IN ISRAEL: FLEETS
OF PIAGGIO MP3 SCOOTER

Military Police of Israel Defence Forces.

FOR THE ISRAELI POLICE FORCES. In the last two years almost 700 Piaggio Mp3s have been delivered by Ofer Motor Co. Ltd., the Piaggio Group importer in Israel and Palestine, to a series of “large accounts”, some of whom, such as the “Red Shield of David” (the Red Cross) and the Police, have been using the Piaggio maxi scooter for their fleets for years. Here is a quick round-up of the latest deliveries.

The Israeli Police have 350 new 300ie three-wheelers (in a special outfitting with top box, siren, flashing lights and personalised livery), which are used by officers on patrol duty to enforce public order and security.

Another 30 customised Piaggio Mp3 vehicles have been consigned to the patrol teams of the Israel Military Police, which operates control services in the territory.

The new fleet enhances the equipment of the Israel Defence Forces. This gallery offers detailed images of the vehicles fitted out for the police, with special equipment and features.

THE RED SHIELD OF DAVID: EMERGENCY MEDICAL AID ON THREE WHEELS. Another “large account” in Israel is the “Red Shield of David” (the national Red Cross) of the Magen David Adom organisation.

In addition to using helicopters and ambulances, the Red Shield’s paramedics provide emergency first aid (prior to hospitalisation) using an agile fleet of Mp3 scooters (200 vehicles with 300cc electronic injection engines, in a customised version with top box, siren, flashing lights), which are particularly suitable for moving fast through the narrow streets of city centres; the scooters also play a vital role in emergency blood transportation, with the riders travelling on the gutsy “Fire” version of the scooter (customised for the service’s specific needs).

The Magen David Adom organisation responds to hundreds of thousands of emergency calls every year. The technical staff of the Piaggio Group’s Ofer Motor importer provides special training for operators and paramedics.

ISRAEL ELECTRIC CORP. Another 50 Piaggio Mp3 300cc scooters (with customised livery, logo and top box) are used by the public government agency that generates electricity for all sectors in Israel and for the Palestinian Authority.

The Israel Electric Corp. is active in electric power production, transformation, distribution, supply and sale to private and business customers. The vehicles are used by engineers and meter readers, making maintenance and services faster and more efficient.

BEZEQ TELECOMMUNICATION. The leading telecommunications service provider, which supplies telephone and internet services, has also taken delivery of a fleet of 30 customised Piaggio Mp3 300cc scooters for its engineers, who can be seen out on the country’s roads every day.

Markets
“LARGE ACCOUNTS”/2

IN SPAIN PIZZA COMES ON A
PIAGGIO LIBERTY “DELIVERY”

Telepizza, a family firm founded in Madrid almost 30 years ago, was the first company in the Spanish industry to pioneer home delivery and today it is the largest operator in the sector. It has become an international business, with 1,300 outlets/restaurants around the world, 26,000 employees, 60 million pizzas sold every year, more than one million followers on its social channels. It is also one of the “Large Accounts” of the Piaggio Group’s Corporate Business division, whose Spanish selling agency provides Telepizza with around 300 Piaggio Liberty 50cc and 125cc scooters every year, in a delivery version equipped with a special rear top box type-approved for food transport, and a livery customised with the company’s new logo. The archive photos below show fleets of Piaggio Liberty scooters from previous years with the old Telepizza logo. What hasn’t changed is the fast and efficient home delivery service for the company’s tasty specialities, thanks to the nippy and stylish Liberty, skilled at weaving through the city traffic and reaching customers even in the narrow streets of city centres.

INFO:

www.telepizza.es
www.telepizza.com

PORTUGAL: EMBASSY PRESENTATION OF PIAGGIO GROUP CORPORATE BUSINESS

A Piaggio Group Corporate Business event was hold in the splendid setting of the Italian Embassy in Portugal, in Lisbon. The vehicle fleets (scooters and motorcycles, in the various customised versions) were presented to the country’s most important public and private-sector organisations, especially those providing public security and home delivery services. The exhibit included the “Police” versions of the Piaggio Mp3, Beverly and Liberty, the Moto Guzzi Norge and Stelvio, the Aprilia Mana and Caponord; as well as the Piaggio Liberty “Delivery” and the new Piaggio Wi-Bike. Guests at the meeting included senior representatives from the Ministries of the Environment and the National Defence, the Republican National Guard, the Civil Protection Authority, and representatives from the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, de Cascaos, de Oeiras. The Piaggio Corporate Business managers presented the fleets (the preferred choice of many public bodies and private companies around the world for years), underlining the strengths acknowledged by the Group’s “Large Accounts” (technological innovation, high customisation, after-sale services).

INFO CORPORATE BUSINESS PIAGGIO GROUP:

www.fleet.piaggiogroup.com/piaggio-site-flotte.html

ART & MORE

VESPA NEWS AROUND THE WORLD:
FROM PARIS TO TOKYO, SWEDEN TO MILAN

A round-up of intriguing news about art, event and curiosities from around the world. Starring the Vespa, but not only the Vespa.

FRANCE: IN PARIS, “VESPA COLETTE”

To celebrate the Vespa’s 70th anniversary, Colette, the famous Parisian concept store (700 square metres in rue Saint-Honoré) has personalised a Vespa Primavera 50 2T for a window display. A white livery and details, from the saddle to the wheel-rims, in the hallmark blue of the French brand. Delightful. Who will be the lucky purchaser of this “unique piece”?

INFO:
www.colette.fr/content/vespa-x-colette

JAPAN, TOKYO: AZUMA MAKOTO’S APE IN BLOOM

A Piaggio Ape entirely covered in flowers, leaves and branches: this is the creation of Japanese artist Azuma Makoto (famous for his “floral sculptures”) for the Fendi boutique in Tokyo’s luxury Ginza district for sophisticated shoppers. The Ape is not just an art installation, it is also a store on three wheels, selling bouquets created by the artist Makoto, who has also put his name to a limited edition of bags created for Fendi. The incredible Ape is officially an artist’s inspiration.

INFO:
www.azumamakoto.com

SWEDEN: THE SCOOTER MUSEUM IN KINNEKULLE

Sweden’s first and only museum devoted to scooters is in Kinnekulle, and is open from May to August (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., entrance is free). An old farm has been converted into a 600 sq.m treasure trove housing historic vehicles of various makes. A special section is dedicated to the Vespa, with a number of valuable rare two-wheelers. The collection also includes a Moto Guzzi Galletto and an Ape Piaggio.

The museum is a popular attraction among enthusiasts and specialists: opened in 2013 by a group of friends, to date it has welcomed more than 5,000 fans every year. At the end of the summer, it goes into “hibernation”, enveloped in snow, to re-open the following May.
Here is a video clip from the official FB page:

INFO:
www.scootermuseum.se

ITALY: A VINTAGE VESPA AT THE VILLA D’ESTE ELEGANCE CONTEST

The first edition of the “Villa d’Este elegance contest” was held in 1929: a great tradition for an exclusive international event dedicated to rare vintage automobiles and motorcycles (and their owners, collectors, and devotees). The contest is held every year at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este e Villa Erba in Cernobbio, on Lake Como. The Vespa, a style and design icon, is a familiar sight, having taken part in the contest many times. This year, it was taken down the runway by Vespa collector Marco Fumagalli: his two-wheeler was a single-cylinder 125cc red Vespa Sport Velocità from 1949. A rare example of a racing scooter, produced in a limited edition, which competed in the D category (private rider) and finished third, winning admiration and applause from the public of connoisseurs and the jury. For the record, the first prize in the category and the “Best of Show” award went to a British Grindlay Peerless 100 from 1929. A Gilera VT GS from 1938 also competed in the 2016 contest.

INFO:
www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com

DISNEY EXHIBITION: MICKEY MOUSE A VESPA FAN AT THE TRIENNALE

Disney Italia recently presented an open-air exhibition “TOPOLINO E L’ITALIA” [Mickey Mouse and Italy]. At the XXI Milan Triennale Design After Design, from 22 April to 15 May, twenty statues of Mickey Mouse, personalised by the creativity of outstanding Italian brands, including Vespa, enlivened the Triennale garden. The statue of the “Vespista” Mickey Mouse expresses a love of the outdoors, a dynamic lifestyle and an adventurous spirit, just like the world’s most famous scooter. Both of them, the Vespa and Mickey Mouse, have brought pleasure and imagination into our lives.

Vespa expressed this by creating a perfect Mickey Mouse rider (jeans, jacket, sunglasses and Vespa helmet), ready for new adventures on the saddle of the legendary scooter. After the Milan exhibition, the statues will tour Italy's cities before returning to Milan in November to be sold at a charity auction, organised by Sotheby’s, to raise funds for ABIO Italia Onlus, which creates areas for children in Italian hospitals.

INFO EXHIBITION (WITH VIDEO):
www.eventi.disney.it/topolinoelitalia

ANNIVERSARY
2006-2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIAGGIO MP3:
“INIMITABLE!”

Salon de la Moto, Parigi, 2013

THE RECORD-BREAKING MP3, THE MOST INNOVATIVE AND ADVANCED SCOOTER OF THE LAST DECADE: THE FIRST IN THE WORLD WITH THREE WHEELS, THE FIRST IN THE WORLD WITH TWO POWER SOURCES (COMBUSTION AND ELECTRIC) ON THE HYBRID MODEL, THE FIRST IN THE WORLD WITH ABS BRAKING AND ASR TRACTION CONTROL ON THE CURRENT MODELS. LAUNCHED TEN YEARS AGO, THE MP3 CREATED A NEW MARKET SEGMENT AND REVOLUTIONISED METROPOLITAN MOBILITY; IN THE STATES IT WAS KNOWN AS “THE NEW VESPA”. TODAY, ITS SUCCESS CONTINUES: IN FRANCE THE MP3 IS THE MOST POPULAR SCOOTER, PARTICULARLY AMONG LARGE INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS FOR THEIR CORPORATE FLEETS.

New Piaggio Mp3 - Official Video

Launched in May 2006, the Piaggio Mp3 created an entirely new market segment and reinvented city transport by introducing unprecedented levels of safety and riding pleasure. The Piaggio Mp3 owes its success to Piaggio’s exclusive technology with two independent tilting front wheels, which the Italian group, the leading player in the European industry, was the first to develop, combining automobile-type safety with the typical practicality, ease of use and pleasure of a two-wheeler.

Justifiably regarded as the link between automobiles and scooters, the Piaggio Mp3 has evolved over the years and has now been completely renewed, with an original design, new technical features and an exceptional set of electronic control systems for even greater safety. With shipments to date totalling more than 150,000, this scooter offers comfort, safety, riding pleasure, advanced engines for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency.

The Mp3 is in a class of its own. In France it is everyone’s scooter of choice: before becoming President, when he could move more freely, François Hollande negotiated the Paris traffic on the Italian three-wheeler; a vehicle enjoyed by many other VIPs, notably George Clooney.

In the USA, where it has growing numbers of followers, the Mp3 was nicknamed “the new Vespa” on its market debut, a label underlining its extraordinary innovativeness: in 1946 the Vespa transformed personal mobility by initiating the scooter phenomenon; 60 years later, the Mp3 launched a new revolution: “two front wheels” to quote the launch claim, enhancing the concept of the scooter as it had been known until then with the addition of a third wheel. Like the Vespa, the new Piaggio innovation had a strong impact on mobility, especially in large cities.

The new Piaggio MP3 500 LT, the top-of-the-range model launched in Paris in May 2014: all you need is a normal driving licence.

Speaking at the international launch of the new Piaggio Mp3 in Paris (16 May 2014), Piaggio Group Chairman and CEO Roberto Colaninno said: “The Mp3 three-wheel scooter, now making its second-generation debut, is the perfect symbol of what Piaggio can do and what we intend to do even more in the future. We want to create things that are completely new, not just introduce continuous innovation. The three-wheel scooter did not exist until the Mp3 appeared. The same thing happened seventy years ago when the Vespa arrived and the world of mobility changed.”

NEW PIAGGIO MP3 - TECHNOLOGY

The new second-generation Piaggio Mp3 is the world’s first three-wheeler equipped with an ABS anti-lock braking system supplemented by ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulation) traction control, an exclusive technological first from the Piaggio Group. The diameter of the front wheels has been increased, from 12 to 13 inches, as have the brake disks to ensure unbeatable grip for even greater safety.

The scooter’s new frame optimises stability at high speeds. The new 50-litre storage space below the saddle can house two full-face helmets, for trips out into the country with a passenger on board, who will appreciate the increased space and the comfortable pull-out footpegs. On the 500cc engine, extensive work on the distribution, intake, exhaust and automatic transmission has further enhanced the scooter’s already excellent power (the Piaggio Mp3 500 is the most powerful three-wheeler in its category) and generous torque, lowered noise levels and reduced fuel consumption. Implementation of the Ride-by-Wire electronic accelerator ensures smooth acceleration, and allows the rider to select the Eco engine mapping for even greater fuel efficiency.

EXCLUSIVE PIAGGIO MULTIMEDIA PLATFORM SYSTEM

Another exclusive Piaggio feature of excellence is the Piaggio Multimedia Platform to connect the rider’s smartphone to the on-board electronic system and turn it into a multi-purpose tool, a computer able to display information from the speedometer, rpm counter, spot power and torque, longitudinal acceleration, angle of tilt, spot and average fuel consumption, average speed, battery voltage, and so on.

From the smartphone linked to the Piaggio Multimedia Platform the rider can display maps and routes, locate fuel and service stations, and monitor tyre wear and tear.

The progenitor: the first Piaggio Mp3 from 2006.

Over the years, the three-wheeler range has been enhanced with models for all possible requirements; it also includes the rugged sporty “cousin” Gilera Fuoco.

The Mp3 Hybrid with two sources of motive power, combustion and electric, was launched in Rome in July 2009. The hybrid model has been part of the range ever since. It is a true passe-partout, unhampered by traffic restrictions in city centres: the rider simply presses a button to select the zero-emissions electric motor and go anywhere.

The Mp3 Yourban LT 300, is a lightweight, agile, easy-to-handle model designed for women and younger riders: it can be ridden with an ordinary driving licence and the locking device that keeps the scooter balanced on its three wheels during brief stops, at traffic lights for example, without the rider having to put their feet on the ground, is a standard feature. Clever!

CORPORATE CUSTOMERS CHOOSE THE MP3

Milan, July 2015: Enjoy launches the world's first free-floating scooter-sharing service and chooses the Piaggio Mp3 300 LT Business ABS for its vehicle fleet. In France, the “Les Laboratoires du Millenaire” company uses the Mp3 Delivery version for urgent blood consignments. In Israel, specially equipped Mp3 scooters (with flashing lights, siren and top box), are used by the Police for years; the “Magen David Adom” emergency aid organisation also has a fleet of Mp3s for its paramedics. In London and Rome, as in other capitals, the metropolitan police ride Mp3 scooters. In Germany, the Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Munich centres of the AVIS rental multinational offer their customers innovative Mp3 maxi scooters. These are just some examples of large corporations and organisations that have chosen the Piaggio Mp3, which is also available in special versions and with special features (such as Delivery and Police), for many different uses. Mp3: much more than a scooter!

Fund-raising campaign in the USA for the Magen David Adom organisation, which provides emergency medical aid in Israel: thanks to the Mp3, the paramedics are able to reach patients faster than ambulances.

THE CURRENT RANGE:
www.piaggio.com/mp3/en_EN

ANNIVERSARY
FOR 70 YEARS

VESPA AND THE MOVIES
AN IMMORTAL LOVE STORY

“The marriage between the Vespa and the movies is an extraordinary partnership: incredibly happy and intense, an indissoluble bond for decades, which continues to grow and create emotions at every latitude…The Vespa today is the symbol of Italian creativity around the world and a unique example of ‘immortality’ in the history of industrial design. The Vespa is not just a mobility phenomenon, but a long-standing symbol of global social mores. Today as yesterday, riding a Vespa is a synonym for freedom and social status, for dynamism and a passion for beauty. It’s an experience of life and imagination, associated with individual and collective symbols that emerged for the most part in the years of La Dolce Vita: Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday were the first protagonists of a marriage made in heaven, which has subsequently been repeated with extraordinary frequency in hundreds of films and advertising campaigns. The creativity of actors and actresses, directors and advertising designers fuels the power of the myth and enhances the collective image of the Vespa with new values, in every corner of world.” Roberto Colaninno (from the exhibition catalogue “La Vespa e il cinema”, Piaggio Foundation, 2010).

Artist Ugo Nespolo created the 2010 exhibition poster and logo.

The Vespa is more than an industrial and commercial phenomenon that has endured for 70 years. Since its debut in 1946, it has influenced social customs and culture. In the years of “La Dolce Vita”, the Vespa became a synonym for the scooter and the reports of foreign correspondents described Italy as “the land of the Vespa”. The role played by the iconic two-wheeler in society in and outside Italy is documented by the presence of the Vespa in hundreds of international movies. And the story still continues today.

London. British director Guy Ritchie and his wife, model Jacqui Ainsley, on the red carpet at the premiere of the “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” where a part is “played” by a vintage Vespa, take their cue from the Hepburn-Peck duo for the photographers.

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the Hollywood hit "Roman Holiday" (1953) were the first in a long series of world-famous actors and actresses who have been filmed on the saddle of the best-selling scooter, which has also been the co-star of hundreds of movies since then, ranging from “Quadrophenia” to “American Graffiti”, “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “102 Dalmatians” to the more recent “Alfie” with Jude Law, “The Interpreter” with Nicole Kidman and the “Transformers” blockbuster series (the fifth film in the saga directed by Michael Bay is due for release in 2017, and once again will feature a Vespa scooter), as well as “The American” with George Clooney, “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” by Guy Ritchie and “Zoolander 2” directed by and starring Ben Stiller, with co-stars Owen Wilson and Penelope Cruz.

Penelope Cruz and Ben Stiller on the set of “Zoolander 2” with the Vespa co-star.

The Vespa has also appeared in celebrated movies by great Italian directors like Dino Risi, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, such as “Caro Diario” by Nanni Moretti, “Romanzo Criminale” by Michele Placido and “Cinema Paradiso”, an Oscar and Golden Globe winner directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

Taormina, 2011 edition of the “Nastri d’Argento” festival: director and actor Nanni Moretti “autographs” a celebratory Vespa PX.

In photos, in films and on movie sets, the Vespa has been the “travelling companion” of movie stars including Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress, Geraldine Chaplin, Joan Collins, Jayne Mansfield, Virna Lisi, Milla Jovovich, Marcello Mastroianni, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, Anthony Perkins, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Nanni Moretti, Sting, Natalie Wood, Brigitte Bardot, Paul Newman, Antonio Banderas, Matt Damon, Gérard Depardieu, Jude Law, Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson and Nicole Kidman. And this is only a partial list, given the large numbers of stars, past and present, who have loved and continue to love the Vespa.

Even more difficult is a census of the Vespa’s appearances in world cinema: starting in the mid-1950s, the Vespa has been a “player” in at least a thousand movies, from Hollywood to Bollywood, via the Italian and European film industries. The relationship between the Vespa and the cinema really is a “love story”, which, 70 years on, continues to create new emotions on the world stage and captivate whole generations.

“The World of Suzie Wong”
with William Holden.

Federico Fellini’s
“La Dolce Vita”.

The celebrated scenes with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck riding a Vespa round the streets of Rome were a formidable “commercial” for the scooter, the Italian symbol of genius, design and style, and launched the Vespa on the international markets. To the point that the prestigious Forbes magazine wrote: “That 1954 Oscar for the splendid Audrey Hepburn should have gone to the other ‘female star’. While Gregory Peck was courting Hepburn, the whole world fell in love with the metallic green Vespa 125…”.

Audrey Hepburn Wins Best Actress: 1954 Oscars‬‬‬‬

BACKSTAGE SNIPPET: LOW OR HIGH HEADLAMP? There is a lesser known detail about the movie “Roman Holiday”: during production, for the first time a number of images were circulated of a Vespa with a headlamp on the handlebar rather than on the mudguard (which was the original arrangement of the model sold at the time); the purpose was to make life easier for the cameramen, because the headlamp on the mudguard created a dispersive light effect, caused by the reflection on the camera.

A number of scenes were shot with the “new” version of the Vespa, but in the end director William Wyler decided to use the current model with the low headlamp. Piaggio subsequently began production of the new model with the headlamp on the handlebar.

The Vespa 125 Mod. 51 (V30T), 1951, co-star of the movie “Roman Holiday”.

The Vespa 125 U, 1953, the first model with the headlamp on the handlebar.

(The photographs were selected with the assistance of the Historical Archive of the Piaggio Foundation-Museum in Pontedera).

ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO TRIBUTE TO AN ICON

“THE VESPA AND THE MOVIES” EXHIBITION IS HOSTED IN HIS ADPLOG SPACE IN TURIN, UNTIL 31 AUGUST 2016. A MUST!

Alessandro Del Piero.

Make sure you don’t miss the exhibition “The Vespa and the Movies”, organised in cooperation with the Piaggio Foundation and Promocinema and with the participation of Italy's National Cinema Museum, which can be seen until 31 August 2016 in Alessandro Del Piero’s ADPLOG exhibition space in Turin. A fascinating exploration of the indissoluble relationship between the iconic scooter and the movies, the exhibition presents photos and stills from countless films, together with several Vespa models covering 70 years of history, style and social change. The APDLOG space has also been transformed into a movie theatre, with weekly screenings of the most important films starring the Vespa.

ADPtv | La Vespa e il Cinema | 2016

The Turin event is a new updated version of the exhibition organised in 2010 at the Piaggio Museum and subsequently shown in Turin for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification, at the “Nastri d’Argento” film festival in Taormina, in Cannes and in St Petersburg. This year – the 70th anniversary of the Vespa – it is back in Turin.

World soccer star Alessandro Del Piero opened the exhibition on 7 June: “When I was asked whether it would be possible to host “The Vespa and the Movies” exhibition in my ADPLOG space in Turin, I agreed enthusiastically,” he said, “because the space houses my passions from a variety of worlds, from sport to art, photography and cinema, and the great excellences of Italy. The legendary Vespa scooter embraces all this: a sporting spirit and desire for freedom, the essence of Italian design, an iconic protagonist in memorable movie scenes and, above all, an example of Italian excellence, which is recognised and admired all over the world.”
(PHOTOS: © EDGE Srl).

INFO:
www.adplog.com

PEOPLE

EMERSON GATTAFONI:
PESARO-MARRAKECH ON A CIAO, 40 YEARS LATER

THE FILM-MAKER, AUTHOR, TV PRESENTER AND DIRECTOR, TRAVELLER AND BIKER HAS RE-TRACED HIS FIRST TRIP WHEN HE WAS 18: THE SAME MOPED AND THE SAME ITINERARY, FROM ITALY TO MOROCCO. HE SAYS: “THAT TRIP CHANGED MY LIFE. I OWE EVERYTHING TO IT.”

Born in Italy’s Marches region, Ernaldo (Emerson) Gattafoni is a familiar face on national television: a writer, presenter and director of several successful travel and discovery programs, many on a motorcycle; and even with two Piaggio Ape Calessino vans, on which he set off with the crew of the “Road Italy” program to discover excellent Italian products; for television, Gattafoni has also made documentaries and investigative reports, and for many years he has been the director of the humanitarian project “Roadway for Africa”: a mobile hospital that provides assistance for rural villagers and nomads.

The leitmotif of Gattafoni’s entire personal and professional life as a world “discoverer” and film-maker is travel, beginning with that first solo trip in 1976 at the age of 18. Forty years later, between April and May, he repeated the journey on the same moped (a Piaggio Ciao 50cc), following the same route, from his hometown of Pesaro to Marrakech, in Morocco. More than 3,400 km, via France and Spain, riding slowly, along the provincial roads.

Invited to the Rai 1 “Unomattina” program, presented by Francesca Fialdini and Franco Di Mare, Emerson Gattafoni explained why he wanted to repeat his journey from 40 years ago: “It was my first important trip, at the age of 18 and a half, on the legendary Ciao. I felt the time had come, for personal not TV reasons, to do it again as a tribute to that first youthful adventure which changed my life: that journey was the start of my career, the experience changed my way of thinking.”

(Frames from the Rai 1 “Unomattina” program, broadcast on 26 May 2016).

“In addition, I wanted to make a point for today’s youngsters, who were born in the digital age; they have dreams but probably in front of a computer, whereas knowledge comes from experience. Achieving a naïve, surreal dream as I did on my Ciao 40 years ago is very important in life. I owe everything to that trip: my way of thinking and looking at the world, understanding changing paths, discovering people, places, cultures. So I set off again on my Ciao: three weeks on my own, which was also an opportunity to reflect on my life.”

Emerson was perfectly organised when he left: his moped was fitted out down to the smallest detail, with a “celebratory” plaque fitted above the headlamp, a “registration plate” with his name and an adhesive of the Italian flag, and a personalised helmet. He remembers his first trip: “In 1976 there were no mobile phones, communication was difficult and travelling to Morocco really was an adventure. It was a period of political and social difficulties in Italy; I was a rock ‘n roll boy, I listened to rock music and dreamed of adventures. It’s great travelling on a motorcycle, but a Ciao is all you need to go, the wind in your face, to explore places and people, smells and experiences, in the company of your thoughts.” Emerson is an expert two-wheel traveller, but very careful about safety: “Forty years, even though it wasn’t compulsory, I was already wearing a crash helmet.” A great example for the youngsters.

As soon as he was back from the Pesaro-Marrakech trip, after his TV interview with “Unomattina” program, Emerson set off again, travelling around the USA and Canada, taking in Boston, Maine and the Great Lakes area and Quebec, in preparation for the 2016 season of his program “Dreams Road”, which will air in the autumn on Rai 1. Other dreams, other roads, other journeys.

The photos illustrating this article are taken from the Gattafoni/Dreams Road social channels and from the “La Banda del Ciao” community.

Adventure

“VESPIDITION PAKISTAN”:
TO THE LEGENDARY KHUNJERAB PASS

A YEAR AGO, THREE YOUNG FRIENDS FROM THE “SCOOTER KINGS PAKISTAN” CLUB ACHIEVED AN AMBITION THEY HAD BEEN DREAMING ABOUT FOR MONTHS: TO RIDE THEIR VESPA SCOOTERS TO THE WORLD’S HIGHEST PAVED INTERNATIONAL BORDER POINT, ON THE KARAKORUM HIGHWAY. ALTITUDE: 4,700 METRES.

The border on the Khunjerab Pass, the road symbol of the friendship between China-Pakistan. Photo by Wang Lie/China Daily).

The Khunjerab Pass is a mountain pass on the border between Pakistan and China. At an altitude of 4,693 metres, it is the highest paved border point in the world, and also the highest point of the Karakorum Highway, the world’s highest international road, and one of the most spectacular. A strategic point linking the north-west of China’s autonomous Xinjiang Uygur region and the region of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan.

The border checkpoint stands on the Pamir Plateau, where temperatures can fall as low as 40 degrees Celsius below zero. This legendary spot was the destination, after a five-day ride of 800 km, rising from an altitude of 1,088 metres to 4,693 metres, of three friends from Scooter King Pakistan. They started out on their vintage Vespa scooters, carefully restored for the trip, on 29 May 2015 and reached the pass on 2 June 2015, before making the return journey.

Itinerary: Manshehra-Besham (first day), Besham-Chilas (2nd); Chilas-Hunza (3rd), Hunza-Sust (4th), Sust-Khunjerabad (5th), across plains, glaciers and mountain lakes along the ancient silk road. Legendary places along the route of the courageous trio on the saddles of their Vespas: Bilal Ahmed Chaudhary on a VBIT 150 from 1975 (known as “Olaf”), Ahmed Butt on a VBB 150 from 1962 (“Syline”) and Kahif Bashir on a VBIT 150 from 1975 (“Granite”).

The adventure attracted wide media coverage, in Asia (including Pakwheels.com) and Europe (Britain’s Scootering magazine published a lengthy eight-page report by Kahif Bashir, with photos of the Vespidition Pakistan team). Kahif says: “The trip would have remained a dream, if I hadn’t had the backing of my travel companions Bilal Ahmad Chaudhary and Ahmad Butt, and of my Scooter Kings Pakistan friends Adeel Khalid (Deedee), Bilal Hussain Akhtar (Hotice), Masood Alam Khanm Yasir Qayum Khan and Mian Zahir Said: it was thanks to their unflagging moral and material support, both during the preparations and the ride itself, which was thrilling and entertaining.”

ADVENTURE MEMORIES

PERUGIA-BEIJING ON TWO WHEELS
TWO LIBERTY 50s IN THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE

TWO TRAVELLERS WITH A DREAM: GOING TO CHINA. IT WAS 2004 WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN BEIJING ON TWO PIAGGIO SCOOTERS. FROM ITALY THROUGH EASTERN EUROPE, RUSSIA, MONGOLIA, AND ON TO THE CHINESE CAPITAL: ALESSANDRO BACCI, UNICEF AMBASSADOR FOR THE NATIONAL FIREFIGHTERS CORPS, TELLS US ABOUT THEIR TRIP.

When you have an irresistible desire to discover and learn about other places and people, what do you do? You start travelling, and with a two-wheeler you really do get a sense of freedom. Add an extra dose of courage and imagination to resolve unforeseen problems and difficulties, and the journey turns into an adventure. This is what happened to Alessandro Bacci of Perugia, a firefighter by profession and a biker by passion, and his colleague and travel companion Emanuele Cruciani. In 2004, the pair had just come back from an “outing” to the North Cape and were dreaming about going to China, but not on a powerful motorcycle: the real challenge was to travel to Beijing on two 50cc scooters. They chose the Piaggio Liberty 50 4T, organised the trip and, realising that it would not be easy to enter China and move around on motor vehicles as visitors, they travelled “on a mission” as firefighters and UNICEF ambassadors.

Alessandro and Emanuele left from Perugia, rode up to northern Italy and on to Eastern Europe (Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Belarus), Russia (Moscow, with a stop in Red Square), Mongolia (travelling through the Gobi desert to Ulaan Baatar), and finally reaching Beijing, after successfully overcoming unforeseen events, bureaucratic difficulties, tiredness and resistance tests for both themselves and their vehicles. The journey had an unexpected conclusion: the city authorities involved them in an official parade on their Liberty scooters, with reports in the papers and on television, as well as parties, football games and a twinning program with their Chinese firefighting counterparts.

THE STORY OF THE TRIP:
www.alessandrobacci.it/Perugia-Pechino_in_motorino.htm

ABOUT ALESSANDRO BACCI: “I was born in Perugia in 1972, I work as a firefighter and I have a passion for travel. The scooter is a special, flexible means of transport to discover new places and meet new people. My way of travelling has nothing to do with pinning little flags on a map to say ‘I’ve been there’. I try to transform the desire to explore, learn about new places and meet people that bubbles up inside me every so often, into roads beneath my two-wheeler and I often take along the symbols of peace and friendship as a UNICEF ambassador for the National Firefighters Corps. My motorcycling experience began by chance in 2003 when I set off on an Aprilia Caponord, to make a solo trip to Turkey.

Since then, I’ve never stopped! Coast to coast in America, the Isle of Man, Perugia-North Cape, Perugia–Beijing, the Holy Land and Perugia-Dakar: these are just some of my trips, during which I’ve met many special people and taken home a pile of memories, thoughts and experiences… I like recording my trips in writing, in a simple, direct style, recounting my adventures without filters. When I write, I want to take the reader far away and fuel the desire for discovery that lies within us all. I don’t regard myself as a writer, just as a narrator. I’ve published ‘Perugia Pechino in motorino’ (2008), ‘L’importante è partire’ (2010), ‘Terra Santa’ (2011), ‘Pas de problème’ (2014). I’ve written technical and travel articles for a number of magazines… and my experience in automobile racing has enabled me to work as a tester for a number of motorcycle manufacturers.”

(The photos for this article are taken from Alessandro Bacci’s website, which also has videos of his journeys).

INFO:
www.alessandrobacci.it/homepage.htm

STYLE

SUMMER WITH THE COLOURS
OF VESPA ACCESSORIES

Here comes summer! So it’s time for some holiday shopping, courtesy of the new “Vespa Accessories 2016” catalogue, as good as a fashion magazine. There's a wealth of clothing (t-shirts and polo shirts for men, women, children; as well as sweatshirts and jackets) and accessories (including sunglasses, bags, backpacks, beauty cases, belts), ideal for a holiday or a weekend away. Style and quality guaranteed.

FOR THE BEACH AND POOL: CHILDREN'S PONCHO
Bright colours for smaller swimmers: as soon as they come out of the water, get them dry wrapped up in the hooded poncho, in soft cotton towelling. Colours: blue/purple and pink/green. Match the poncho with the cotton beach towel, available in the same colours.

FIND OUT MORE:
wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive/wide2_16/scooter/index.html
#/Style

INFO & VESPA STORE:
www.vespa.com/en_EN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIKINI!

The modern version of the bikini is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, but the costume has ancient origins. Greek and Roman frescoes and mosaics show that bikinis have been worn since 1400 BC. A famous example is the mosaic in Piazza Armerina, Sicily, showing girls in two-piece costumes playing sports.

In modern times, movie stars were already wearing two-pieces in the 1930s and 1940s, albeit in versions offering ample coverage; the scantiest model was a creation by French clothes designer Louis Réard: in July 1946 he brought out a new two-piece bathing costume, named after the American atoll. The bikini was not an immediate success, however, because it was considered too osé. Cinema came to the rescue ten years later, with Roger Vadim’s 1956 film “And God Created Woman”: the white two-piece worn by Brigitte Bardot launched the new costume, first in the USA and then internationally.

The picture beneath the title shows an old Vespa advertisement with a bathing belle in a two-piece costume. The famous scooter and its contemporary, the bikini, are established world-famous “icons”: both are 70 years old with a great future ahead of them!

STYLE

HI-TECH AND 2.0 VESPA HELMETS:
THE LATEST MODELS

The helmet continues to evolve in terms of style and materials. Here are the latest entries from Vespa, which, like all original helmets, are notable for design and safety, high construction quality and maximum protection.
CARBON HELMET. Carbon fiber shell with synthetic leather central band and Vespa logo in metal on the back and stitched on the front. Strap with micrometric retention system; breathable, removable and washable lining; retractable visor. ECE 22.05 approved. This is the new jet “Carbon Helmet”: the details can be seen in this photo gallery.

FIBER HELMET. Fiberglass shell with decal graphics. Strap with micrometric retention system; breathable, removable and washable lining; retractable sun visor. ECE 22.05 approved.

FIBER DECAL MY 2016 WHITE. White fiberglass shell with decal graphics. Strap with micrometric retention system; breathable, removable and washable lining; retractable sun visor. ECE 22.05 approved.

FIBER DELUXE HELMET. Fiberglass shell with a broad central band in synthetic leather and metal Vespa logo on the back (stitched on the front). Strap with micrometric retention system; breathable, removable and washable lining; retractable sun visor. ECE 22.05 approved.

NEW VESPA “NAZIONI” 2.0 HELMETS

GREAT CLASSICS MODELS, NEW DESIGN: THE “NATIONS” COLLECTION IS NOW RENEWED.

The Vespa “Nazioni” helmet collection decorated with national flags has been a great success. Now it has been enhanced with three new models: Nazioni Italy 2.0, Nazioni France 2.0 and Nazioni UK 2.0. These are jet helmets with five buttons. Thermoplastic shell – injection printed. Strap with micrometric retention system. Inner padding in high-strength fabric. Chrome profiles for an unmistakeable Vespa look. Removable and washable internal cheek pads. Anti-UV paint. Here's the gallery.

CLASSIC COLLECTION

Then there’s the Nazioni Classic line, with the models decorated with flags: Italy (including a child’s version), UK (including a child’s version), USA, Brazil, France. These are vintage-style jet helmets in ABS without a visor. Under-coat Vespa logo on the back. Inner padding in anti-allergenic fabric. Available in 5 sizes (XS-XL). ECE 22.05 approved. Made in Italy. Available with a transparent “3-button visor”. Here's the gallery.

The Vespa helmets collection also includes the VJ, P-Xential, Visor and Visor 2.0 models.

INFO & STORE ONLINE
https://www.it.vespa.com/en_EN

SPECIAL 70TH SERIES

New VJ VESPA 7O° helmets, available in Blue and Grey (coordinated with the liveries of the new Vespa Settantesimo limited edition). These helmets feature ABS shells, a full-length clear visor and retractable short sun visor, strap with micrometric retention system, removable, washable breathable lining. Vespa 70° logo on the back. Here's the gallery.

BLUETOOTH COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
An innovative and practical accessory: the Bluetooth communication system for jet helmets with removable cheek pad; universal. For Bluetooth smartphones, the system allows the user to make and receive calls by pressing just one button, or to receive GPS instructions. USB rechargeable, dual link function. In the photo, the accessory is applied to the VJ/1 Vespa helmet.

Community

SUCCESS OF VESPA WORLD DAYS IN SAINT TROPEZ:
NEXT DATE CELLE, IN GERMANY, FROM 22 TO 25 JUNE 2017

Vespa World Days 2016 - Saint-Tropez

Great applause wrapped up the annual “big event” for the world’s Vespa lovers: “Vespa World Days” 2016, organised by the Vespa Club de France, with the Vespa World Club, was held from 2 to 5 June in the Gulf of Saint Tropez. A captivating location, which attracted almost five thousand Vespa riders from all over the world (from Italy and the rest of Europe to Asia and South America, Russia and Argentina, Mexico and the Philippines).

VWD consisted of four unforgettable days of friendship, united under the banner of the world’s most famous scooter, which this year is celebrating its 70th anniversary in a unique history.

Vespa World Day 2016 - "Vespa 70 Years Young" Exhibition

The program offered a wide variety of activities, including tours to discover the local towns and villages, food and wine tastings, boat trips, games and competitions, stands in the Vespa Village, a 70th anniversary exhibition “1946-2016 – La Vespa compie 70 anni” in the Salle Jean Despas in Saint Tropez, musical evenings, a vintage elegance contest and road parades.

Vespa World Day 2016 - Concours d'Elegance

These galleries offer a sample of the images of the event (which you can see on the official FB page with video clips).

Our favourite photo? This one: a kiss in front of the Vespa scooters parked along the Saint Tropez quayside. True romance!

VWDAYS 2016, FB OFFICIAL PAGE:
www.facebook.com/vespaworlddays2016/
posts/1726645440901757

PREVIEW VWDAYS 2017

Photo © Oliver Vosshage

Preparations are already underway among the federation of German Vespa Clubs (Vespa Club von Deutschland e.V.) for the next VWD, which will be held in Celle, Germany, from 22 to 25 June 2017. The event will be an opportunity to explore this attractive town in Lower Saxony, presented in this video. The Vespa Village will be set up in the CD-Kaserme cultural centre. See you in Germany.

Best Celle from the top of 2015

INFO VWDAYS 2017:
it.vespaworlddays2017.com
www.facebook.com/vwd2017/?ref=py_c

Community

ANNIVERSARY: 10 YEARS
WITH THE VESPA WORLD CLUB

The Vespa legend began as soon as the scooter was launched: as early as 1946 (the debut year of the famous two-wheeler), many Vespa enthusiasts began organising clubs and associations. These early Vespa Clubs, formed first in Italy, later abroad, recount a seventy-year story of passion for the Piaggio two-wheeler. A story that led in 2006, the 60th anniversary of the Vespa, to the creation of the Vespa World Club, which handles coordination and promotion functions for the world’s Vespa organisations.

The purpose of the VWC, whose creation was promoted by Piaggio, was to capitalise on the best experiences and initiatives organised by Vespa riders around the world (in every continent, from Europe to America, Asia and Africa), in order to strengthen the role of national partnerships and provide support for all the Vespa Clubs.

Today, there are 49 national Vespa Clubs associated with the VWC, for a total of about 60,000 members. Even so, it is impossible to quantify the number of Vespa devotees, or the number of internet pages and social channels dedicated to the world’s most famous and best-selling scooter. Every year the national Vespa Clubs and thousands of fans meet up for the big event, “Vespa World Days”, which this year was held in Saint Tropez (see previous article).

The “predecessors” of the VWC merit a mention: the “Vespa Club d’Europa” founded in Milan on 8 February 1953, by a unanimous vote of the delegates representing the national Vespa Clubs in Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland, in order to coordinate and develop initiatives and relations among Vespa riders in different countries. Two months after the European club was formed, the six founder countries were joined by Austria, Denmark, the UK, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. This was followed by the creation of the “Vespa Club Mondial”, subsequently re-named Fédération Internationale des Vespa Clubs (which was disbanded at the end of 2005).

The development of associations among Vespa riders was closely linked to the growing popularity of the Vespa on the international markets: in 1953 there were already more than 10,000 Piaggio service stations around the world, in Europe, Asia and America, and the Vespa Club already had over 50,000 enthusiastic members who spread the image of the scooter and documented the efficiency of the commercial and service network.

A RARE PHOTO from the early 1960s, a corporal riding a Vespa 125 at an RAF base in the Maldives, on the island of Gan in the southern Addu Atoll.

In 1948, during the Milan Trade Fair, the national Vespa Clubs organised a “silver swarm” rally, a reference to the typical silvery green colour of the first Vespa 98. This early major rally attracted extraordinary coverage. In 1951 the Italian Vespa Day was attended by 20,000 Vespa riders.

During the 1950s, a huge variety of competitions, regional and national rides were organised, in and outside Italy (among the most notable were the Tour of Switzerland, the Three Seas Tour on a 2,000 km route, the Women’s Audax, the 1,000 km Vespa ride). Events re-evoking those historic adventures are still organised today.

INFO:
www.vespaworldclub.com

FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND RALLIES

THE BEST VIDEO OF THIS ISSUE

VESPA: 70 YEARS YOUNG

We have no false modesty in sharing with Wide readers the new Vespa video produced to celebrate the scooter’s 70th anniversary. The Vespa spirit has always been an expression of spontaneity and liberty, shared and experienced by generation after generation, yesterday and today. Vespa, 70 years young.
Co-starring in the new video is the Primavera model, Limited Edition 70°.

Vespa 'Nothing to wear'

INFO:
www.vespa.com/en_EN

MY VESPA MOVIE

THE CRAZY ITALIAN RALLY:
A SLOW TRIP WITH VESPA AND CIAO

You’ll have fun watching this video on the “Crazy Italian Rally”: 1,884 km across Italy, from North (Biella, Piedmont) to South (Pachino, Sicily) on 50cc Vespa scooters and Ciao mopeds.

Crazy Italian Rally, 1,884km across Italy on a Vespa

The road trip was a joyful experience for a 20-strong group of friends travelling at their leisure, with a back-up Ape van (carrying the tents and luggage) and a streaming banner, to explore places, people and good food. The caravan with its colourful vehicles and participants (whom we would invite to wear a crash helmet at all times!) attracted much attention as it wound its way down the Italian “boot”: after a rainy start from Biella, the group headed for Tuscany, Rome and Naples; then they took a ferry across to Sicily and their final destination Pachino and its beaches.

The prize was the Sicilian sun and the pleasure of achieving their goal. The group are already planning their next trip, from 31 July-6 August 2016, again on 50cc two-wheelers.

INFO:
www.crazyitalianrally.com

YOU AND YOUR VESPA
ON WIDE!


Every Vespa scooter, whatever its age, whatever the model, is a cult object, a collector’s item to be treasured, cared for and kept for years after any other vehicle would have finished its working life. The WIDE feature “My Vespa Movie” is dedicated to everyone who rides off to work on a brand new Vespa every morning, to everyone who fondly conserves a Vespa handed down in the family from generation to generation, to everyone who lovingly cherishes a vintage Vespa.

MAKE YOUR
VESPA MOVIE!

Make a short video with your Vespa to tell us what the Vespa name means to you. You can tell the story of your scooter or recount a trip you’ve made together. You can include shots of daily life, or evoke the emotions you have shared.
The videos we select will appear on Wide, in the feature “My Vespa Movie”, to present you and your Vespa, the most special scooter in the world, to Vespa devotees all over the globe. Because every Vespa story is unique.

Send your video clip video to: wide@piaggio.com

SUMMER ON THE ISLANDS

A Vespa is all you need to go on holiday: whole generations of youngsters – and their elders too – have explored the world from the saddle of a Vespa. And they still do: the Vespa has been the world’s most popular two-wheeler for 70 years, the perfect vehicle for short or long trips to discover new places, following in the tracks of the “big travellers”. Here are a couple of ideas for a Vespa holiday to two European islands.

CORSICA, FRANCE

VESPA Road Trip CORSICA 2015 by SIP Scootershop

RHODES, GREECE

Rhodes Vespa Tour 2014