Piaggio to offer fuel-injection on the Vespa which will be sourced from Magneti Marelli, in both their 125cc and 150cc engines. Fuel-injected variants will be sold alongside the carbureted ones.
You read it first on MotorBeam. The scooter industry has been on the rise for quite some time with many manufacturers trying to throw in their own offerings into the market. Currently, Honda’s first scooter, the Activa is leading the pack in terms of sales. The retro-Italian styling of the Vespa scooters has found many admirers here in India but not many buyers though. However, the Vespa offers a somewhat premium value to the scooter nameplate which has not been the case with Honda, Suzuki or TVS.
Youngsters seem to find the Vespa quite attractive and as a result, Piaggio is now planning to upgrade its scooters by introducing fuel-injection technology across the Vespa range. Currently, all Vespa scooters come with a carbureted engine which will continue to be offered alongside the fuel-injected motor. The Vespa scooters will therefore be offered with four different engine options, namely, 125cc engine with carburettor and fuel-injection; and 150cc engine with carburettor and fuel-injection.
Fuel-injection is available as a standard feature on the international spec Vespa scooters and the same was not offered in India earlier because of the price increase it would cause. However, the company has now worked around the fuel-injection system which will come from the Italian company Magneti Marelli at a cheaper cost. The fuel-injection system will definitely improve the scooter’s fuel efficiency and performance over the standard carbureted variants but will also carry a higher price tag over the carb models.
Currently, Vespa scooters retail in four variants in India which include the Vespa LX, Vespa VX, Vespa S and Vespa Elegante ranging between Rs. 70,208/- to Rs. 82,207/- in prices (ex-showroom Delhi). We expect the Vespa FI scooters to be Rs. 4000-5000/- more expensive than the carburettor variants and should find a few buyers in our mileage conscious country.
