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New York, NY, May 22, 2006 -
As gas prices soar to record
highs, a new national survey
released today found that
30% of U.S. consumers would
be extremely or somewhat
likely to consider using a
motor scooter for their
everyday transportation
needs. According to the
survey conducted in the
first week of May of 2006,
these individuals indicted a
willingness to transfer 35%
of their weekly mileage to a
scooter.
By comparing the results of
the survey to Department of
Energy national averages for
fuel consumption and
emissions, the findings
establish that if Americans
were to utilize one of the
latest eco-friendly scooters
available in the market
today, they could, in
aggregate, reduce national
fuel consumption by 14
million gallons of gasoline
per day and reduce carbon
dioxide emissions by 324
million lbs. per day.
"Scooters" were defined in
the survey as two-wheel
vehicles that can reach
40-100mph, whose average
cost is $2,000 or above. The
survey was fielded by ICR on
behalf of Piaggio Group
Americas, the manufacturer
of the Vespa brand scooter
and a leading manufacturer
of two-wheel vehicles.
"The benefits of scooters
are well known around the
globe, as they are part of
the daily behavior for
millions of people
worldwide," said Paolo Timoni, President and CEO of
Piaggio Group Americas.
"While growing in
popularity, scooters are
only marginally embraced in
the U.S. where millions of
individuals drive cars in
situations where motor
scooters would be perfectly
appropriate and convenient.
Scooters are an additional
transportation solution to
help reduce consumer gas
spending, but also provide
an environmentally friendly
transportation mode as a
result of its high MPG and
modern engine technologies."
The survey found other
strong factors motivating
consumer's willingness to
consider utilizing a
scooter, including
environmental concerns and
overall cost savings. The
survey found that 33% of
Americans would be likely to
use a scooter to reduce
emission harmful to the
environment, 35% would be
likely to use a scooter to
save $25.00 a week on
gasoline.
This survey underscores the
growing popularity of
two-wheel vehicles. Scooter
sales have increased
tremendously over the past
two years and manufacturers
are preparing for a busy
summer of record sales. U.S.
sales of all Piaggio brand
scooters through its dealer
network increased by an
impressive 15% in 2005.
These achievements were
driven by the launch of new
dealerships, new products
and overall increased brand
awareness in key U.S.
markets. Piaggio, which
re-entered the U.S. market
in 2000, now has dealerships
in over 100 locations
over 50 of which have opened
since January 2005.
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