The automaker plans to upgrade most of its existing products by the end of this year to meet the upcoming BS-VI emission norms.
Italian two and three-wheeler maker Piaggio Vehicles has announced that it will launch a fully electric three-wheeler in India by the middle of this year.
A top official of the firm confirmed on Wednesday that the electric three-wheelers will be assembled within the country, with some of the components like lithium-ion battery cells being procured from external suppliers. Other components like engine and battery will be produced completely within India, PTI reported.
Piaggio Vehicles started operations in India in 1999 with the launch of the three-wheeler brand Ape. It is a leading player in the diesel three-wheeler segment and has sold over 25 lakh units in the country.
“India is one country which is investing more on electric mobility. We are preparing for this right in advance …demand at the moment is not very big but we expect it to increase quite fast, so we plan to introduce our fully electric three-wheeler by the middle of this year,” Piaggio Vehicles MD & CEO Diego Graffi was quoted as saying.
No plan to introduce hybrid vehicles in India anytime soon
The company also plans to expand electric to cargo and big passenger segments as well. However, there is no plan to introduce hybrid vehicles in India for now.
“We have hybrid applications in Europe. We will have to study in order to introduce them in India, but at a later stage,” Graffi said.
Graffi also said that the automaker will be upgrading most of its existing products by the end of this year to meet the upcoming BS-VI emission norms.
“So, we are planning to be ready in advance, 4-5 months ahead of the deadline (April 1, 2020). We are lining up all our investments, in order to be ready definitely by the end of this year,” Graffi said.
