Piaggio To Launch Vespa GTS 300 Scooter In India At Around Rs 4 Lakh

Currently undergoing homologation, the Vespa GTS 300 is expected to be launched in India by the end of this year with a price tag of Rs. 4 lakh.

Piaggio India head, Stefano Pelle has announced that the company is going to launch a premium performance scooter in India, the Vespa GTS 300. He revealed that the model is currently undergoing homologation and could be launched by late 2016. A far cry from the existing Vespa scooters in India the GTS 300 is expected to be priced around Rs. 4 lakh, thanks to its extremely upmarket features.

Despite having a good brand name, Vespa scooters are not performing that well in India at present. However, the company now seems to be on an aggressive onslaught in the market. Last year the company launched the Vespa VXL 150 and the SXL 150 scooters in the country, joining Vespa’s other 125cc products already on sale. With this launch, Vespa became the manufacturer of the highest displacement automatic scooters on sale in the country. Piaggio also unveiled the India-bound Aprilia SR150 at the 2016 Auto Expo and announced that it will be launched in August this year. The SR150 will be the first Aprilia product to be manufactured in India and it will help the company keep the price significantly low in its segment.

Already showcased in India at the 2014 Auto Expo and the 2015 India Bike Week, the Vespa GTS 300 features styling quite akin to the Italian company’s other less premium products. The scooter gets an all-steel body which is claimed to improve high-speed stability. The performance scooter has a top speed of 128kmph and gets high-performance brakes to go with it: a 220mm disc brake unit on both ends along with ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) assistance.

Powering the Vespa GTS 300 is a 278cc, single-cylinder motor that makes 21.2PS of maximum power and delivers a peak torque of 22.3Nm. Being the most powerful scooter from the Vespa stable, it gets traction control as well. Most probably, the scooter will be launched via the CBU route first and the above-mentioned price will make it the most expensive scooter ever sold in the Indian market.

Earlier, some reports were claiming that the Italian manufacturer is also planning to launch its flagship Vespa 946 in India, which could be priced at a staggering Rs. 9 lakh. We wonder, would anybody be willing to pay such high prices for what is, after all, a scooter, in a country that is obsessed with frugality at the low end and powerful sporty motorcycles at the other. However, we can also say that two-wheeler connoisseurs and collectors will definitely show their interest in these expensive machines.