As Italian automaker Piaggio plans to step up its India presence with a product blitzkrieg across its three brands - Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi - it is now keen on offering the authentic European experience.
Enter Motoplex, a premium retail one-stop lifestyle/concept store which hosts all the three major brands under one roof. It strives to go beyond just selling bikes to offering a lifestyle experience and giving customers a feel of the company’s lineage and its product range.
The company now intends to replicate this in India and has kicked off the process with three Motoplex stores in Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai with Kochi to follow soon. Stefano Pelle, Managing Director and CEO of Piaggio India, toldBusiness Line during the Hyderabad opening that plans were afoot to open a number of such stores.
The idea is to provide a “holistic experience” to visitors and buyers which in turn is a key part of the expansion strategy. “Motoplex as a concept introduces the passion of Italian biking under one roof by offering an exciting overview of the two-wheeler world. It reflects the innovative vision of the Piaggio Group,” says Pelle.
As he elaborates, the store not only showcases the long standing history of the Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi brands but also highlights their fascinating journey that “proudly stands for Made in Italy”.
The new range for India includes the SR 150 from Aprila described as “scooter like with bike traits”, Roamer and Bobber from Moto Guzzi, Vespa 300 GTS scooter and the marquee Vespa 946. The company is also exploring the possibility of offering Medley 150 and Liberty 125 under the Piaggio range.
Clearly, the idea is to pull out all stops and woo the biking enthusiast in India whose numbers are on the rise. What really matters to this premium customer is the overall experience which translates into weekend riding clubs and the like. This is precisely what companies like Harley Davidson and Royal Enfield are doing so effectively.
Piaggio is categorical that it will stick to the premium space which becomes a challenge in a price-sensitive market like India. Here, it is the mid segment represented by brands like the Activa and Splendor which rules the roost. On the other hand, Vespa does not come in cheap and this puts in context its tepid numbers. It is perhaps to drive home the message of the premium experience that Motoplex will have its task cut out with the other brands too. From Piaggio’s point of view, it is not about playing the volumes game in India but focus on brand building instead.
Iconic brand This is the 70th anniversary of Vespa which made its debut soon after World War 2. In the early ‘50s, it was seen on the big screen with Roman Holiday which had Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn race through the streets of Rome on a Vespa. In India too, Vespa was quick to make a mark through the manufacturing route with Bajaj Auto through the ‘60s and and later with LML in the ‘90s. However, once Piaggio decided to restart its innings on its own, it began operations in the commercial vehicle arena first before launching Vespa only in 2012. Sales, though, have been little to write home about so far with barely 2,000 units each month.
As for Aprilia, it is the true sporty flagship brand for Piaggio while Moto Guzzi is one of the oldest and most respected in motorcycle history. Established in 1921 and acquired in end-2004 by Piaggio, Moto Guzzi has operated continuously for nearly a century at the same factory in Mandello del Lario.
So, will the Motoplex retail drive yield the desire results? There is no question that it is the best bet to create a different selling experience for Indian customers. It is also a practical solution at the front-end to build the Piaggio brand. After all, the company is still associated with cargo vehicles and little has been achieved with Vespa which means a new branding exercise is imperative.
The Piaggio management has also reiterated on more than one occasion that it is not into the numbers game with its two-wheelers. From its point of view, the goods carriers are part of its B2B drive which are well established and can only grow from here. On the other hand, its premium bikes and scooters are in the B2C space with a different set of buyers which means out-of-the-box thinking. This is where Motoplex will have a critical role to play in the world’s largest two-wheeler market.