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The revolutionary nature of GITA and KILO
The Piaggio Group continue to shape the future of mobility with the creation of GITA and KILO, the first Piaggio Fast Forward products.
Introducing GITA and KILO, the first projects developed by Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), a newly-established company overseen by Piaggio and based in the U.S. with a goal of pioneering the future of light mobility. Piaggio aims to explore the evolution of how the world gets around by thinking about the future, expanding its vision to include a much broader range of technological solutions compared to its current core business.
The revolutionary nature of GITA and KILO is in their ability to provide support to people in the various activities that characterise their movements in everyday life, extending the limited operating range and carrying capacity of humans. They are, in fact, conceived as a true platform for mobility, which can be customised and integrated to meet different needs in multiple scenarios.
Michele Colaninno, President of PFF, explains: “To truly understand people and their habits to meet their needs, this is what led us to create GITA. We understood that we have to create products in line with the needs of tomorrow’s humans, and we will do that through humans. The success story is made up of PFF people and teams, who are the living proof. They are young, enthusiastic, with no fear of challenges, a melting pot of cultures and professionalism who together have created a perfect merging of robotics, engineering and design.”
Roberto Colaninno, Chairman and CEO of the Piaggio Group , declared: “The Piaggio Group, through the creation of PFF, looks again to the future, to young people, to the future generations, and doesn’t want to merely be ready to face the challenges of this increasingly complex mobility scenario, but wants to be leading agent of this change. Innovation, research and curiosity are the basis of this project and are its main drivers.”
GITA (which means “short trip” in Italian) is an intelligent autonomous vehicle designed to support humans. It can carry up to 18 kg and both observe and communicate. Reaching speeds of up to 35 km/hour it is able to follow a human operator and can also move autonomously in a mapped environment.
KILO is the big brother of GITA and can transport up to 100 kg in its spacious 120-litre compartment.
The Piaggio Museum earns a place in the Tripadvisor Hall of Fame
In 2019, the world's biggest community of travellers once again recognises Italy's largest Motorcycle Museum. The Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, the largest motorcycle museum in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe, enters the TripAdvisor® Hall of Fame, obtaining the Certificate of Excellence for the fifth consecutive year, thanks to the high scores and very positive reviews provided by visitors.
The Museum has been consistently recognised by TripAdvisor® every year since 2015, thanks to its ability to win the hearts of the many guests, 700,000 of whom have visited Pontedera (in the province of Pisa) from all over the world since the museum opened. Having received this coveted award for the fifth consecutive year, the Piaggio Museum earns a place in the TripAdvisor® Hall of Fame. TripAdvisor® is the world's biggest travel platform, present on 49 markets and boasting approximately 490 million unique visitors per month with its network of sites.
The large exhibition spaces within the Museum, inaugurated in 2000 and significantly refurbished in 2018, extend across 5000 m2 and are located in former industrial warehouses that, elegantly restored, now house more than 250 historic vehicles. Vehicles that represent more than one hundred years of emotions, dreams and projects, all of which have accompanied the economic and social development of Italy.
The Vespa collection, one of the best-known and loved Italian brands, attracts fans from all over the world and is flanked by collections dedicated to the Piaggio and Ape brands and to the motorcycle and racing history of the Aprilia, Gilera and Moto Guzzi brands.
Names that have written key chapters in the history of the motorcycle and that, together, boast an extraordinary 104 world titles across the various motorcycle racing specialisms. From the heroic machines of 1909 (the year Gilera was founded) or of 1921 (the birth of Moto Guzzi), all the way to the extraordinary Aprilia bikes belonging to Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Manuel Poggiali, all World Championship winners.
Alongside these valuable pieces, some unique and unrepeatable, is the entire history of mobility – from trains to planes, from cable ways to marine motors – covered by a company that is part of Italian history.
For more information, visit the official website.
The limited edition (gita)RED
(gita)RED Supports (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.
Piaggio Fast Forward, a robotics company revolutionizing active lightweight mobility, today announces its partnership with (RED). The limited edition (gita)RED will be available for purchase exclusively during the fifth annual (RED) SHOPATHON, available for sale on Amazon.com/RED Monday for a limited time.
(RED) is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds to help end AIDS. For every (gita)RED sold, $50 is donated to the Global Fund. (RED)-funded grants support a diverse range of life-saving HIV/AIDS programs, including testing, counseling, treatment and prevention programs with a specific focus on eliminating transmission of the virus from mothers to their babies.
(gita)RED is the first capsule collection from Piaggio Fast Forward. The limited-edition robot has all the capabilities of the original gita with signature (RED) styling. The gita robot is a first-of-its-kind lifestyle robot that carries your belongings, empowering you to engage with the people and activities you love most, head up and hands free.
“Partnering with (RED) allows us to give people an incredible product that they feel even better about because of the impact the purchase will make to countless people living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. We are very proud of that.” said CEO Greg Lynn.
Go to mygita.com to sign up for key (gita)RED alerts
Piaggio Group awarded the Poste Italiane tender
The Piaggio Group confirms its position as the leading European supplier of postal and professional delivery vehicles
The Piaggio Group (PIA.MI) has been awarded the tender put out in the EU by Poste Italiane S.p.A. (PST.MI) for the supply of 5,000 three-wheel thermal scooters to be used in postal delivery services. The contract is worth an overall amount of more than 31 million euro.
Mymoover
The vehicle in question is the new scooter, Mymoover, designed and developed by the Piaggio Group specifically to meet the transportation and delivery requirements of corporate fleets and typical delivery needs.
Mymoover offers an outstanding load capacity of 95 kg thanks to the combination of front and rear carriers (25kg front and 70kg in the rear compartment). Additionally, the “high wheels” and double-wheel tilting rear system guarantee high stability and safety when driving.
Poste Italiane recognised the scooter as the best solution for transportation of large volumes, while guaranteeing safety and manoeuvrability.
Shipment of the fleet will be completed by mid-2021.
The contract confirms the Piaggio Group as the leading European supplier of postal and professional delivery vehicles: the experience built up by Piaggio over the years has led it to win contracts for the supply of more than 53,000 scooters to the postal services in the main European countries.
MOTOGP 2022 – RACE – ARGENTINAGP
APRILIA TRIUMPHS IN THE GP OF ARGENTINA, IT’S THE FIRST WIN IN MOTOGP
WITH A MASTERFUL RACE, ALEIX ESPARGARÓ WINS AT TERMAS DE RIO HONDO AND MOVES INTO THE LEAD OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
MAVERICK VIÑALES, SEVENTH ACROSS THE LINE, TOPS OFF A HISTORIC DAY FOR THE MANUFACTURER FROM NOALE
Aprilia triumphs in the Grand Prix of Argentina, taking its first victory in the MotoGP class along with Aleix Espargaró. For the Noale-based manufacturer, one of the most victorious brands in the history of motorcycle racing, this is win number 295 in World Championship GP Motorcycle Racing, the first in the new four-stroke era of the premier two-wheeler class after countless wins in the 125 and 250 cc categories.
A historic day that also crowns Aleix Espargaró on the day of his 200th GP in the premier class. As a true team captain, Aleix was the star of a weekend to remember, made up of a pole position, the win, and the fastest lap in the race. An unmistakeable sign of the outstanding level of competitiveness the 2022 Aprilia RS-GP has reached.
Thanks to this win, Espargaró is now leading in the overall rider standings with 45 points, further demonstration of a more than positive season start for the entire Aprilia Racing team which, at Termas de Rio Hondo, also saw Maverick Viñales taking home his best performance of the season after staying in the top five for quite a few laps.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
“I'm very proud of this milestone we’ve reached. We tackled a long path to get here, but we’ve finally done it! It was a fantastic weekend, but it wasn’t a simple race. In practice I was extremely fast, as well as in the warm-up session, but in the race I struggled a bit with a lack of grip. I didn't lose heart. I tried changing the electronic settings several times to overcome these problems and, in the end, I managed to improve. I was faster than Martín by a few tenths, but it wasn’t at all easy to overtake him, partly because it was a new situation for me. I had never been in the position to battle for a win in MotoGP. It was truly exciting, especially the last lap. I am extremely happy for Aprilia, for me, and for my family. We deserve it. I would like to thank again all the team, who is working hard in Noale and the Piaggio Group for the support. Now we’re leading in the championship, but we’ll just try to take advantage of this positive moment, continuing to have fun and keeping our feet planted firmly on the ground.”
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“Today’s result was a great one for all of us. I'm extremely happy for the entire team and for Aleix. We worked hard over the winter and we deserve it. I knew that Aleix could win because in practice he had demonstrated something more than all the rest. We were all hoping hard because this win is extremely important and it’s a great confidence booster for everyone. As for my race, I found myself battling with a lot of rivals, losing time with passes and counter-passes, and that also had an impact on the tyres. But I can’t complain. It’s great to be back in the top ten, especially because I think I could have finished even better. Plus, my pace in the race improved a lot and I found a good base feeling with the bike. In this race, we were seeking confirmation after the changes to the settings that we tried in the warm-up session in Indonesia, and we got it, so now I'm convinced that we’ll be able to improve even more from here on out.”
An Italian Style Icon
1960’s elegance with the new LEGO® Vespa 125
Get a taste of genuine Italian style with the new LEGO® Vespa 125 model inspired by the iconic Vespa Piaggio. This elegant 1,106 piece set is designed to help style lovers find a moment of mindfulness through LEGO building as they step back in time to create this elegant display piece.
The new LEGO model pays tribute to the original Vespa with its pastel pale blue colour which resembles one of the first colours of this Italian icon. Fans can further celebrate the heritage of the set by adding a classic 1960s Italian licence plate and the Vespa logo.
Like the original this model is full of beautiful details and sophisticated design touches. From a bunch of flowers in the bike’s basket to the spare wheel, it also has a brick-built engine, kickstand and working steering, this model is sure to be one that is displayed with pride in your home or office to create your own tribute to Vespa.
“Working with the Vespa team to create this stunning automotive masterpiece was an incredible experience. Recreating the details of the original model to celebrate the classic 1960’s Vespa was one of my favourite parts of designing this set. The set offered me a chance to step back in time and let my imagination flow while designing, and we hope the experience is the same for fans.” said Florian Muller, Senior Designer at the LEGO Group.
Marco Lambri, Head of the Piaggio Group Design Centre: “Working with the LEGO Group was an extraordinary experience, because it brought together two dreams – the LEGO brand and Vespa. Two outstanding brands able to span different ages, always able to reinvent themselves because they have the capacity to unite and to build in their DNA. As designers, the challenge was to have the soft shapes of Vespa coexist with the form of Lego bricks, a challenge I believe we met with flying colours.”
The LEGO Vespa 125 will be available from LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and other retailers globally from March 1st.
VESPA 946
CHRISTIAN DIOR
BIRTH OF A NEW ICON, AN ODE TO JOIE DE VIVRE. DIOR JOINS FORCES WITH VESPA TO CREATE AN EXCLUSIVE SCOOTER AND A RANGE OF MATCHING ACCESSORIES.
Founded in the same year, in 1946, the Italian brand and the Parisian couture house are linked by their creative vision.
Today, more than ever, the Dior and Vespa collaboration reinvents the spirt of freedom, movement and expression.
VESPA 946
CHRISTIAN DIOR
BIRTH OF A NEW ICON, AN ODE TO JOIE DE VIVRE. DIOR JOINS FORCES WITH VESPA TO CREATE AN EXCLUSIVE SCOOTER AND A RANGE OF MATCHING ACCESSORIES.
Founded in the same year, in 1946, the Italian brand and the Parisian couture house are linked by their creative vision.
Today, more than ever, the Dior and Vespa collaboration reinvents the spirt of freedom, movement and expression.
Born from passion, the Vespa 946 Christian Dior is a blend of subtle graphic lines and sleek architecture which pays tribute to the heritage of the two houses. A symbol of refinement, this object of desire reflects the shared commitment to the excellence of savoir-faire and the virtuoso art of detail.
A contemporary version of the iconic Vespa 946 – presented in 2012 in Milan and recognised for its elegant streamlined curves and technological innovation. The new model was designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior's Women's collections. The scooter is made in Italy, adhering to the standards, quality and precision of a couture atelier.
These limited-edition creations will launch in 2021 in Dior boutiques around the world.
RELENTLESS RINS WINS DOWN UNDER
Alex Rins took an emphatic victory at the Australian Grand Prix, coming from 10th on the grid to win a race that will go down as another Phillip Island classic.
In what was the first visit to Australia for the MotoGP circus since the pandemic. Rins made a strong start and got among the leaders with a series of expertly executed overtakes.
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He hit the front at the halfway stage, but with the top-10 covered by less than two seconds, it was not going to be straightforward.
The lead changed hands again and with three laps to go he was back in third place. However, he made two passes into the Southern Loop, in what had become his signature move after a number during the race, and held on to take the win.
He said of his win, “I’m super happy. During the race I was feeling pretty good, in fact my feeling with the bike was amazing. The pace was fairly slow to try and preserve the rear tyre, because we know this place can be tough on tyres. But in the end, I was able to find some good traction in the sweeping corners and this allowed me to gain places and feel strong until the end, but we had a fantastic battle all together.
“His entire team and everyone who has worked on this project deserves this win, and so do the fans, I’m so pleased that I could celebrate another victory together before we depart.”
THE FINAL FLAG – SUZUKIWAVE GOODBYE TO MOTOGP
The final race weekend of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season has ended with emotions running especially high for Team Suzuki Ecstar, who bow out – not only from the season, but from the championship.
They did it in spectacular style as Alex Rins led from start to finish in the Valencia GP, taking a whole-hearted victory. Joan Mir showed his usual grit and perseverance to take a solid sixth place.
The team have achieved many great things in the relatively short space of just eight years, with the undoubted highlight being the team and Joan Mir becoming World Champions in 2020.
The journey to the final flag has been quite the adventure, ranging from the very first prototype test in 2012 to the last victory just a few weeks ago in Phillip Island, so instead of dwelling on our exit, we wanted to highlight some of the key moments of our last eight years in MotoGP:
2014: Although the story started under the spotlights of an official MotoGP test in 2013, the wheels weren’t truly rolling until we entered the championship in 2014. Aleix Espargaro arrived at his first day with the team with a statement helmet reading: “The Story Restarts,” and the intention was set.
2015: The first full season back coincided with the 30th anniversary of the legendary GSX-R1000 and a stunning retro livery was unveiled for the riders, Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales. This ‘bedding in’ year resulted in several Top 10 race finishes and 11th and 12th respectively in the championship standings.
2016: The first sweet taste of success came just one year later, with Team Suzuki Ecstar and Maverick Viñales’ first MotoGP victory at Silverstone. The image of Vinales crossing the line, standing high on the pegs with his arms aloft in victorious form gave the team impetus for more moments like this.
2017: The team welcomed a new line-up for 2017, the dynamic duo of Andrea Iannone and MotoGP rookie Alex Rins. It wasn’t smooth sailing for the squad, but with support from the test riders, Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda, and the determination of the young riders, a couple of fourth place finishes were achieved.
2018: Suzuki grabbed an impressive nine podiums in the 2018 season with Rins becoming more confident in the class, taking his first MotoGP podium in Argentina. Iannone also put in some impressive rides – especially in Texas where he wore the Stetson with pride from the top step of the podium.
2019: Fast forward a year, and the Circuit of the Americas enjoyed another Suzuki success; this time it was Rins’ turn! This wasn’t to be the only triumph for the number 42 rider though, and in August of 2019 he took an emphatic and thrilling win at Silverstone. A photo of Rins taking the chequered flag, just fractions ahead of Marc Marquez, with the pair eyeing each other up to the finish line has become an absolute classic – not only in the Suzuki history books, but the MotoGP books too. A fast young Mallorcan talent named Joan Mir joined the ranks in 2019 too, showing flashes of excellence in several GPs.
2020: As the world reeled with the emerging pandemic and the MotoGP calendar was left in tatters, Suzuki pulled together and remained focused on racing goals – something which was evident in their month-long stay in Qatar at the start of the season, to protect staff and concentrate on the project. After a slightly rocky start to the season, things soon started to look up for the blue team. Joan Mir put together a sensational season, showing consistency and maturity throughout the year to be crowned MotoGP World Champion and put Suzuki back in the spotlight after 20 years. Coupled with Alex Rins’ impressive form which saw him finish third in the standings, this was truly the ‘comeback’ year for Suzuki – a feat made even more special as the factory celebrated 100 years since their founding, and 60 years in racing.
2021: Entering the year as reigning champions, and with the tried and tested line-up of Rins and Mir, the goal was once again to contend for podiums, wins, and the best championship positions possible. What the team lacked in luck that year, they made up for in tenacity. Rins had a tough year, although a second place at his beloved Silverstone gave a much-needed boost. Mir clocked six podiums through the year, and his consistency gained him third place in the standings at the close of the season.
2022: The final flag. It goes without saying that the highlight of the year for us was Rins’ heartfelt and thought-provoking final Suzuki victory in Valencia – a fantastic reward for the hard work and strong-will shown by the team. Although his nail-biting and ferocious run to the top step in Australia is a close contender. Mir also put in many brave and determined displays. We pulled together for every session of the season, and we stand strong together as we reach the final flag.
Alex Rins: “Well, I managed to achieve exactly what I wanted: another win with my team. This one, being at home and being our last together tastes extra special and it’s very emotional. Over the years Suzuki and I have celebrated some really beautiful victories, but also shared many beautiful moments as a family. I’ll miss everybody so much, and I’ll carry the lessons with me for the rest of my career.”
Joan Mir: “I’m happy to take a pretty solid finish in my final race with Suzuki, especially after a tough few weeks. Winning a title with this team is something I’ll keep in my heart forever, we’ve worked relentlessly during all our years together, but in 2020 everything just came together for us and it was simply fantastic. Thank you to the whole team for their help.”
Livio Suppo: “What more could we ask for? The only thing better would have been a double podium. But Alex showed, once again, how competitive he and our bike are. And Joan did a great job. My time with Suzuki has been short but very sweet. Working with an iconic brand, with superb people, and a great bike has been a big pleasure for me, and I think we can bow out with our heads high.”
Ken Kawauchi: “Today Alex did a very impressive job, getting the holeshot and leading the whole race, thank you to him for this final victory, and also to Joan for a nice sixth place. Finally, thank you also to all the staff for their work during all the years. We have been a very good group of people, and we always tried hard to get the best results.”
Shinichi Sahara: “Victory today in Valencia! What a great reward for the team. I’m very proud of the staff, the riders, the engineers in Japan – not only for today but for the whole season. We had a fighting spirit until the end, and we leave with a World Title and many victories and podiums.”
SUZUKI LAUNCHES INDUSTRY-FIRST ACCIDENT AFTERCARE PROGRAMME
Suzuki has launched its new motorcycle accident aftercare programme, an entirely free service for all customers, regardless of age of machine, that aims to make dealing with the aftermath of an accident or theft as smooth and as pain-free as possible. The programme provides riders with a single point of contact and will handle everything from liaising with insurance providers and recovery of the motorbike, right through to the repair at an authorised Suzuki dealership using only Suzuki Genuine Parts.
The service is a motorcycle industry first, and by helping to remove a lot of the stress from what is already a high-stress situation, it highlights Suzuki’s ongoing commitment to its customers past the new motorcycle point of sale.
With no sign-up required, any Suzuki owner involved in an accident – regardless of their insurer – can benefit from the service by calling Suzuki First, a dedicated call centre available 24 hours a day. From there, the entire claims process, recovery, and repair, will be handled on the owner’s behalf. Suzuki First will also be there if the motorcycle is stolen.
Jacob Lewis, Suzuki GB’s customer retention manager, commented, “We pride ourselves on our level of aftersales care at Suzuki, and I think our customers will agree we put a great deal of effort into things like our Suzuki Service Promise and our Vintage Parts Programme. Now, we’re really pleased to be able to further demonstrate our commitment to Suzuki owners with the Suzuki Accident Aftercare programme. Sometimes accidents happen and we know how stressful it is managing the fallout, arranging recovery and dealing with insurance companies.
“We aim to make this process as easy as it can be, by handling everything on the owner’s behalf. Not only that, by managing the process we can ensure that their Suzuki is repaired to the highest possible standard, using Suzuki Genuine Parts and by fully trained and experienced Suzuki technicians. And best of all it is completely free, there is no charge to the owner. All they need to do is call Suzuki First and we’ll take it from there.”
For more information on the Suzuki Accident Aftercare programme, click here.
SUZUKI BRINGING CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING SUPERBIKES TO STAFFORD
SUZUKI BRINGING CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING SUPERBIKES TO STAFFORD
Suzuki is bringing championship-winning superbikes to this week’s Stafford Classic Bike Show – which takes place on 15-16 October at the Staffordshire County Showground – with Troy Corser’s World Superbike-winning GSX-R1000 K5 on display next to John Reynolds’ 2004 British Superbike title-winning machine.
The two iconic superbikes, in their Corona Suzuki and Rizla Suzuki liveries from the period, will be on display in the show’s new 90s and 00s hall, with Reynolds himself present for the duration of the show. The GSX-R750 SRAD ridden by Michael Dunlop at this year’s Manx GP will also feature.
Other classic Suzukis on display include the TL1000S that was out of brand new parts in 2014, thanks to Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme, and a GSX-R1100L and Bandit 600 that were both restored by apprentices at the Suzuki Apprentice Centre in Doncaster. Also on show is a DR Big and a GSX1000SZ Katana, one of only 166 imported into the UK in 1981.
Alongside the classic fleet the latest Katana will head a display of modern machines, which will also include the third generation Hayabusa and the new GSX-S1000GT sports tourer.
Support over the course of the event will be Vintage Parts Programme specialists, Robinsons Foundry, as well as representatives from Suzuki Insurance and Motul.
