Piaggio India Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Italian Piaggio has launched a new successor under it’s prodigious series of passengers and cargo vehicles by introducing ,” Ape City autorickshaw” in the Indian market.
With the launch of Piaggio Ape City autorickshaw it looks like company is seriously focusing to set high standards against it’s biggest rival in India under three wheeled segment known as,” Bajaj”. Piaggio ape city autorickshaw is available in three variants- LPG/CNG/ and in petrol gauge. Viewing it’s powertrain specifications, all these three variant are powered with a four stroke 200 CC unit. However, the information regarding the power output and torque has not been released. In terms of transmission, the engine runs on a three valve set up and is mated to a four speed manual gearbox with 4 forward gears and one reverse gears. However, Piaggio India claims that the new Ape City is 10% more fuel efficient than the older model. The higher fuel economy claim is plausible considering the fact that the engine loses a full 75cc in terms of cubic capacity. One of the company spokesperson said that the Ape City delivers more power and torque than its competitors.
Mr. Ravi Chopra, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Piaggio India Pvt. Ltd has stated in connection with the launch in Mumbai “At Piaggio, our emphasis has always been on value creation. Be it product design or performance. We have consistently gone into the market with our customers in mind. Anticipating the regulatory shift towards more eco friendly vehicles and customer’s need for a small, fuel efficient and a comfortable three wheeler, we conceived the Ape City to deliver exceptional value and a superior experience to our customers. Today, we are confident the ape city will outclass others in the alternative fuel segment and will help consolidate our position in the 3 wheeler segment. Created on the basis of extensive customer need gap analysis, ape city is truly a world class product that will complement Piaggio’s existing 3 wheeler portfolio. It should emerge as a preferred option over competition in this segment on the strength of its operating efficiencies, enhanced earning potential, and both driver & passenger comfort”.
At the launch, company looks very much confident regarding the performance specification of Piaggio ape City rickshaw, as they scheduled all these products with a offer of 12-months/36000 km warranty and 4 free services. In terms of design, new 2013 Ape City rickshaw equipped with a more sleek and curvier look with the newly re-designed headlamps, wheel covers, front mudguard and the seat upholstery ( thereby making it usuable for carrying heavy lauguage). To reduce maintenance costs, Piaggio India has designed the Ape City’s engine to have oil change intervals of 10,000 kilometers.
The price of Piaggio ape City rickshaw is Rs Ape City LPG – Rs. 1.10 lakhs, Ape City CNG – Rs. 1.23 lakhs and for Ape City Petrol – Rs. 1.25 lakhs and it will be soon rolled out for sale within a week.
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