Piaggio not competing in volume game, says MD Pelle

Piaggio, which makes and markets a range of premium scooters in India, has seen sales grow during 2015 but is clear that it is not here to compete in the volume game.

“This year, our sales have grown and we are happy. By the end of the year, the scooter market in the country will be of five million pieces.

“But (if you ask) are we competing with the mainstream? No, we are not,” Stefano Pelle, Managing Director of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Limited, said candidly.

He added, “We are not doing the number game.” Admitting that the company was testing and researching options for the volume game, he said, “We have done research. There might be a volume game. We want to have an idea of what could be the potential. But if we will ever go there or not… ooparwala jaane (God knows!).”

A few minutes earlier, in a rare display of action by the Italian maker of two-wheelers and light commercial vehicles, Pelle had come riding in on an Aprilia, Piaggio’s racing motor bike brand.

He announced the launch of South Asia’s first Motoplex store, in Pune.

The Motoplex is a one-stop lifestyle store and will showcase three of the Group’s most prestigious two-wheeler brands – motorcycle brands Aprilia and Moto Guzzi, and the Made-in-India high end scooter brand Vespa.

The concept started in Italy around a year ago. “We opened the first Motoplex in Mantova in northern Italy, followed by such stores in cities like New York, Shanghai and Singapore, among others. By the end of 2015, there will be 90 such stores across the world,” Pelle explained.

The idea stemmed from the thought that the network, particularly in Europe, had to be revamped, and it required a different corporate identity.

“This is not the usual kind of dealership but a point of aggregation for bikers,” he said, adding that the bikers could exchange notes over a cup of coffee, and even if the interaction did not lead to purchase of a bike (price tag: from ₹14-26 lakh), or Vespa (₹88,000-90,000), it would still bring a premium life style experience to buyers, while helping the company connect with the customer.

“They might just go for a pair of sunglasses, some merchandise, or just a cup of Italian coffee, have a chat and then walk out,” Pelle quipped.

The stores will also be used to create events like birthday celebrations, he said.

While the first Motoplex in India is company-owned and company-operated, Piaggio dealers will help the concept expand.

“In India, there will be at least three more stores in the next two to three months in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai,” Pelle said.

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