The Hindu Business Line : Piaggio rolls out Ape Truk

Kochi June 1: To cater to the light transportation segment, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd has rolled out its four-wheeler pick-up - Ape Truk - for the first time in the country in the Kerala market.

"We have chosen Kerala because of the highly experienced distribution network in the State on account of our strong presence in the three-wheeler segment,'' Mr Ravi Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director, said at a press meet.

The vehicle will be subsequently rolled out rapidly across the country in the next few months, he added.

The Ape Truk, priced at Rs 2.15 lakh, has several features which include comfortable car-like interiors, stability, high payload, convenience of three-side openable panels, all-terrain capability and fuel efficiency.

With the increasing emphasis on heavy multi-axle commercial vehicles for inter-city transportation, MR Chopra said focus had been shifted to smaller cargo vehicles for efficient intra-city movement of essential goods.

To meet the future requirements of inter-city movement, the company is planning to launch a range of new products in the next couple of years, he said.

He pointed out that the lower end of the LCV (light commercial vehicles) market was seeing a major upheaval with the Supreme Court ban on overloading of cargo vehicles and a ban on entry of heavy commercial vehicles into city roads.

Mr Ashutosh Khosla, Director (Sales), said that the company had a good market in Kerala in three-wheeler segment with a share of 57 per cent as against a national share of 48 per cent. The company registered a record sale of 1,40,000 vehicles last year.

Piaggio's parent company has chosen to make India its global sourcing hub for three-wheelers for markets in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The company has a production capacity of over 150,000 vehicles a year at its manufacturing facility at Baramati in Maharashtra, he said.

More Stories on : New Products & Services | HCV/LCV/Tractors | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page