Piaggio Group: Eicma novelties

Nov 02 2010 19:05

EICMA 2010 - Piaggio Group presents the new products: 

Aprilia RS4. Aprilia's small supersports bikes have been completely revised.
Two models dedicated for young enthusiasts who want their first experience in the motorcycling world to be with a proper bike.

• Aprilia RS4 marked a milestone in the evolution of the 125 cc motorcycle. For the first time ever, the sportiest bike available for 16 year olds was a 4-stroke.

• For the youngest riders of all, the Aprilia RS4 50 embodies all of Aprilia's technology in a genuine racing replica in just 50 cc.

Aprilia Tuono. From the bike which dominated the World Superbike Championship, Aprilia extracts the fiercest naked ever seen. V4 162 HP engine, the most advanced chassis to attack any path, aprc electronic management to create a "customised" bike for every riding situation.

Vespa PX. The Vespa in its most original form, once again takes its place of timeless legend. Forming the link between the history of the world's most famous scooter and its future, the Vespa PX is back with a choice of its most classic engine sizes. Incomparable style, an engine which respects the most severe emissions standards and the classic four gear transmission make Vespa PX unmistakable and unique.

Vespa “Vie della Moda” Special Edition. The Vespa has always been an icon of fashion and elegance, and the "vintage" models in the range are now offered as variants dedicated to the most evocative symbols of Italian style: the Vespa GTV and Vespa LX "Vie della Moda". Offered in the exclusive and sophisticated Plum colour scheme, the brand new "Vie della Moda" versions accentuate the vintage forms of the Vespa GTV and Vespa LXV.

Piaggio MP3 Yourban. With MP3 YOURBAN the Piaggio three wheel family expands its offer, bringing all of the advantages of the MP3 to a compact scooter with light, agile and manoeuvrable lines, ideal for moving about in traffic.

Available in the 125 and 300 cc engine capacity versions, both with electronic injection, the MP3 YOURBAN stands out for its top-of-the-class equipment and finish and is designed for both young executives who use the scooter for their daily commute between work and home as well as a female public in search of a safe, agile and fun means of transportation. With MP3 YOURBAN, the MP3 is now for everyone!

Beverly 10th Anniversary. To celebrate a decade of success for its best seller, Piaggio has created a special edition of the Beverly 500 - the flagship of the family - to offer unrivalled style and performance. Beverly 10th Anniversary is a special edition boasting premium finish details and offered with a dedicated colour scheme for even more exclusive looks.

Piaggio Liberty 50 "Teens". With over half a million units sold, the Piaggio Liberty is a leading player in the highly successful lightweight high wheel scooter phenomenon, and has always been a huge hit with the public. For 2011, the Liberty 50 - the most popular scooter among teens - is offered with a completely revised livery.
Liberty “Teens”
stands out for the colour contrast between the vivid white of the bodywork and the dark blue used for the footrest platform, the leg shield back plate, the lateral mouldings and the saddle. The saddle upholstery is inspired by jeans and emblazoned with the Piaggio logo, in a cheeky reference to the favourite garment of young people all over the world. Liberty “Teens” is not just a safe, reliable scooter, it is an elegant addition to the style of its rider - a fashion statement, as emphasised by the graphics of the shield and flanks, which cite hallmark denim cues.

Moto Guzzi Norge GT 8V. Travel first class, with style and horsepower. Norge GT8V has been totally revamped and is now more powerful, safe and comfortable taking Moto Guzzi to the top of the long haul gran turismo sector.

 

Derbi Senda DRD X-Treme & Racing 50 R e SM. The Senda DRD, offered as R and SM versions, has always been for young-at-heart riders. The new X-Treme and Racing versions exceed even the wildest expectations: the top in terms of image, technology and sports performance.

 

Piaggio Concept NT3. At Eicma 2010 Piaggio Group introduces the NT3 Concept. An extraordinarily innovative vehicle, designed to meet mobility needs in areas with the highest development rates, specifically in India, Vietnam and South East Asia.
NT3 is a result of Piaggio Group's innovation and technological capabilities which - together with a unique design - give life to a four wheeled, three seater vehicle never before seen on the market inspired by the basic characteristics of the ape. NT3 is a compact, safe, flexible, manoeuvrable and attractive vehicle as well as being highly competitive thanks to its contained costs.

Concept NT3: key characteristics

- Compact size: thanks to a length of only 2.4 metres, NT3 moves about easily in traffic and is easy to park.

- Load capacity: In the people carrier version, optimisation of the spaces guarantees full accommodations for three people thanks to the innovative three seat configuration with centre driving position.

- Safety: NT3 is conceived around a space frame structure with crash box in order to guarantee maximum protection of the occupants.

- Economy: more than 30 km with one litre of fuel.

- Respect for the environment: the reduced weight allows consumption and emissions to be contained. NT3 can be available with high efficiency and low emissions power drives, including hybrid Piaggio HyS technology.

- Modular: NT3 is a vehicle conceived to allow various transport solutions, such to configure a complete and diversified range of products.

Style: tradition and innovation

Tradition and innovation come together to clothe this Piaggio concept vehicle, completely unique on the mobility scene thanks also to various technical and architectural solutions which Piaggio has covered with specific patents.

Characteristics of the Vespa, but also of the Ape, are represented and reinterpreted to highlight the "Italianism" and originality of the vehicle.
From the side view, the unmistakable shape of the Vespa mudguard is reintroduced on the rear wheels. A radical solution is found at the front, without compromises, leaving the wheels uncovered so as not to forget Piaggio's scooter and motorcycle spirit. The front architecture recalls the Ape characteristics, dominated by an important sign which is reminiscent of the central mudguard.
In the NT3's interior architecture we also find the combination of tradition and innovation which creates a spacious, technological and original driver and passenger compartment. Once again, Vespa was the inspiration: a "tub" without any solution of continuity makes up the central element of the entire driver and passenger compartment.
The longitudinal section is similar to that of a Vespa, with a powertrain installed within complete with lithium batteries in the hybrid version. The use of recyclable materials and the reduced number of parts which make up the interior of the vehicle are aimed at keeping the costs down and simplicity of construction.

Versatility and transformability are two other fundamental characteristics of the NT3 project. There can be multiple configurations of the vehicle to meet various needs and uses. Different content and technology can characterise versions destined for different markets. At the Milan exhibition Piaggio introduces two versions of the prototype: one equipped with all of the most advanced content and the other more basic, equipped with the bare minimum. The differences in outfitting are made possible thanks to the decomposition of the parts and its modular nature which makes it easy to obtain various configurations with different characteristics – and therefore different costs.

Technical characteristics

Vehicle architecture: The use of a spaceframe with crashbox, conceived in high resistance steel, guarantees the safety of the occupants. Further advantages of this projectual choice are the high rigidity, sturdiness in the most severe uses, and keeping the vehicle weight low. On the NT3 concept the integration between powertrain and rear suspension allows the operational space of the mechanics to be contained and the vehicle's centre of gravity to be lowered, which translates into excellent stability. The separation of the spaceframe from the powertrain – realised with a double suspension level – allows for excellent comfort levels with extremely low vibration and noise.

Ergonomics and accommodations: the particular arrangement of the seats guarantees excellent accommodations for three people in less than 2.4 metres of length (the width of the NT3 Concept is 1,500 mm and the height is 1,600mm). The raised driving position provides excellent visibility, also guaranteed by the ample glass surfaces which contribute to excellent on board quality of life. The possibility of reclining or removing the passenger seats allows transportation of bulky objects.

Accessibility: the formed deck allows comfortable access both to the driver's seat and to the passengers' seats. An innovative door opening system allows easy entrance and exit from the vehicle even in tight spaces (for example in cases of parking near a wall or another vehicle).

Handling and road holding: contained dimensions and reduced turning radius provide the vehicle with extreme handling, making it capable of taking on even the most articulated route. The independent Mac Pherson front suspension is optimised to make the vehicle safe in any conditions of use. The "Omega" rear suspension guarantees maximum grip. Integration of the powertrain with the rear suspension allows operating space to be contained and provides a significant reduction in the vehicle's centre of gravity.

Three engine capacities

The Piaggio NT3 Concept can have three different engines, all conceived for maximum environmental compatibility while still guaranteeing suitable performance for the vehicle's mission.
The 200cc engine is characterised by significantly reduced costs of operation, consumption and polluting emissions.
The 300cc engine, based on the consolidated technology of the Piaggio Mp3 three-wheeled scooter, provides brilliant performance in the internal combustion 300cc version.
The 300 hybrid engine version integrates – as with the new Piaggio Mp3 300 Hybrid – the traditional low environmental impact internal-combustion powertrain with the zero emissions electric powertrain with performance equal to the 300cc internal combustion (80 km/hour max speed) and a speed of 30 km/hour in the ZEV "electric only" mode. The on board electronics decide, depending on the operational mode selected and the conditions of use, how much power to provide through the internal combustion engine and how much through the electric engine in order to optimise performance and consumption. The hybrid version represents the solution of excellence to satisfy the growing needs for urban mobility and metropolitan products with high environmental compatibility.

 

 

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