We haven’t done a news roundup in about a month, so we’re breaking it down by company. Here are some late-February/early-March news stories about Piaggio and Vespa:
- Vespa’s anime-porn-styled pre-Valentines-Day ad on Yahoo is red-flagged by personal security experts. (Little do they know PiaggioUSA have never figured out how to spam.)
- In Mid-February, a PiaggioUSA press release explains that a new study (financed by Piaggio) has solved New York’s traffic and environmental woes. The press takes their word for it (the study isn’t included in the press release) and the story makes news nationwide.
- On February 22, Piaggio announced big plans for foreign plants and 1 million vehicles annualy by 2010. The plan includes regional manufacturing and distribution to facilitate the growth (from 2006’s 850,000 vehicles).
- Vespa and Piaggio scooters are now available down the street from the Bluth’s Banana Stand.
- “All I could think as I rode the Vespa GTV250 in unseasonable rain along Cape Town’s Atlantic coast was: ‘Who on earth will lay out [$9400] for a scooter?'” Motoring.za test-rides the Vespa GTV250.
- The PR-fluff-boilerplate “Police on scooters” story meets the MP3 era as Savannah cops test the three-wheeler on St. Patrick’s day. Intrepid!
- On Friday, March 16, Piaggio announced 2006 profits were up 10.4% over 2005. A 0.03-euro dividend to investors has been proposed.
That first one is definitely a reversal of previous marketing campaigns. Down to the cops, the MP3 makes a lot of sense in most areas but just like previous attempts won’t happen in Chicago.
You forgot to include the Piaggio USA articles in the new issue of Dealernews. Seems that dealers are not too happy with Piaggio.
Care to summarize? They don’t put the juicy news on the website.
No ones laying out $9400 for a GTV unless there is a dealer out there who is adding $2500 on top of the MSRP.
Those aren’t American dollars, I think they’re New Zealand dollars.
It IS U.S. dollars, but not in the U.S.
The story (.za=South Africa) read:
“The rest of it buys 60 years of heritage, of style distilled to perfection over time as only the Italians can do it. I’m not sure that I would lay out 70 grand for a GTV250 – but it’s not actually all that expensive, is it?”
and also quoted the price as: R69 950. (70K South African Rands), the same price quoted on Vespa’s South Africa site, which converts to $US9,683.28.
So sorry, I undervalued it by $200, I guess the exchange rate changed in the last couple days, you should have bought one then!
(Other than being in the wrong country, your math is correct, the US site lists the GTV at $6,899)
Ah. My bad.