The iconic Vespa will make an Indian comeback at the 2012 Auto Expo with the LX125!

The Vespa LX125, that Piaggio will showcase at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo is more than just a scooter. In fact, generations of Indians have grown up riding or in some way or the other connected to the numerous Vespa clones that have been doing duty on Indian roads in form of Bajaj’s range of scooters and later, LML’s offerings. While Bajaj no longer makes scooters, LML caters to a very limited market in India’s NCR(national capital region), where demand for the traditional scooter is still high with a four stroke offering.

Even as traditional, side engined scooters went into a serial and a serious decline, the automatic scooters led by the Honda Activa emerged as a resurgent form of two wheeler transport, so much so that the Activa, which was Honda’s first product for India as an independent two wheeler maker, continues to be the best seller in its segment. Italian scooter and commercial vehicle maker Piaggio now owns the legendary Vespa brand and is all set to enter India’s automatic scooter segment with the Vespa LX125. The scooter which will be launched in March 2012 will be showcased at the Auto Expo.

And unlike the Chetaks and Priyas of yore which were more utilitarian than style statements, the Vespa LX125 will arrive into the nation as a lifestyle scooter, aimed at the younger set of buyers looking for a trendy set of wheels to complement their lifestyle. That said, the Vespa LX125 embodies a timeless retro modern design that could even bag the hearts of the older set who have long abandoned their trusty Chetaks, Vijai Supers and Lambrettas for other forms of transport, with a dab of nostalgia here and a whiff of sentiment there.

The Vespa LX125 will be powered by a four stroke, 125cc engine that produces 10.5 Bhp of peak power and 9.7 Nm of peak torque, making it one of the most powerful scooters in India. So, the scooter could be one zippy ride around town what with a CVT transmission to accompany. Both disc and drum brake options could be available on the LX125. Expect pricing to be higher than the rest of the 110-125cc automatic scooters, in line with the Vespa LX125′s premium positioning. All in all, the Vespa LX125 is one scooter that India will look forward to come January, 2012.

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