Piaggio is reportedly developing a new family scooter which would have India as its focus market. Interestingly, the upcoming product is said to bear Aprilia badge which is known for sporty scooters instead of Vespa which is more in line with the idea of family scooter.
Bikewale reports that the new scooter in question could likely go by the name Aprilia Comfort. As the name suggests, emphasis will be on achieving high level of comfort which means we can expect generously proportioned seat, wide floor board, smooth ride quality, and ample storage space.
The new Aprilia family scooter for India is expected to borrow the Aprilia SR 125’s air-cooled engine and CVT. However, the powertrain would be tuned to offer a character that will suit the family scooter positioning. On the SR 125, the engine is good for 9.52 PS and 9.9 Nm of torque.
The styling too will be mellowed down (read curvy body panels instead of edgy ones) but one can expect quite a few components to be borrowed from the SR 125. The new Aprilia Comfort 125 will lock horns with other premium 125 cc automatic scooters in India like the TVS NTorq 125 and Suzuki Access 125. This segment is expected to grow at an impressive rate in the coming years.
The new automatic scooter from Piaggio would be made at the company’s Indian plant in Baramati, Maharashtra. Thanks to platform sharing and local manufacturing, the new Aprilia scooter would be priced competitively.
The report suggests that Aprilia Comfort 125 is slated to be introduced in August 2019 in a bid to take advantage of the festive season rush. Piaggio India’s 2019 plan is likely to start with the launch of Aprilia Storm 125, an even sportier derivative of the SR 125. The new family scooter would go a long way in maintaining the good momentum of Aprilia brand in the Indian scooter segment. It will take on the likes of Honda Activa, 125, Suzuki Access, etc.
Update – Aprilia India has revealed that there is no such scooter planned for launch in 2019.
This post was last modified on December 31, 2018 6:06 pm