Piaggio has launched its third scooter in India, the Vespa S, where S stands for Sport. The company offers two more scooters although calling them variants would be more appropriate as they are identical save for some cosmetic differences. Piaggio’s Vespa lineup now has three offerings – Vespa LX, Vespa VX and Vespa S. All scooters are powered by the same 125cc, single-cylinder, 3-valve motor which outputs 10.06 HP of power and 10.06 Nm of torque, paired to a CVT gearbox. Piaggio claims no other scooter can take place of the Vespa.
The Vespa Sport is priced at Rs. 76,495/- (ex-showroom, Mumbai), which is Rs. 4000/- more than the Vespa VX (on-road price in Mumbai is close to Rs. 85,000/-). The biggest differentiator on the Vespa S is the square headlight instead of the round unit found on its siblings. The rear view mirrors are square shaped as well while the front glove box is lid-less and the instrument cluster gets the piano black treatment for that sporty touch. The alloy wheels get black coating while the front suspension’s coil is finished in red. These changes might not be a world apart but do amplify the appeal of this Italian scooter.
The Vespa Sport uses a monocoque chassis just like all other Vespa scooters and front disc brake is offered as standard on this vehicle. The front suspension is a single-sided hydraulic unit while the tyres are tubeless. Piaggio is offering the Vespa Sport in four colours – black, red, orange and white. Piaggio plans to launch more scooters in India and the 946 is on the cards, being brought in via the CBU route, priced at around Rs. 2 lakhs. The Vespa 946 will serve as a brand builder only and volumes are not expected.
