Earlier this year in June the iconic Italian scooter manufacturer Lambretta from Milan made a huge comeback to the European market with the unveiling of its two new scooters – the G350 and the X300. Now the company has revealed that it is planning to re-enter the Indian subcontinent. According to the company, it will be making its return to India in partnership with the Bird Group – a multi-verticle business group.
In his first interview with Indian media, Walter Scheffrahn, the worldwide owner of the Lambretta brand and a member of the board at Innocenti SA, told ET that the firm will invest more than $200 million with the Bird Group over the course of the next five years to gain market share in India. Innocenti SA will introduce a variety of powerful scooters in 2023, including G, V, and X models with capacities ranging from 200 to 350 cc. In 2024, an electric scooter will also be added to the lineup to capture the increasing demand for EVs.
Walter Scheffrahn stated, “The brand has its soul in India and it has tremendous affinity amongst the masses. We want to re-create the magic of the past. We aim to make it a Ferrari of scooters in India with our top-end range,” The scooters will be extremely high-end, and even their most affordable model might cost at least 20% more than the most expensive scooters, he continued. Lambretta will control 51% of the joint venture firm, with Bird Group holding the other 49% of the shares.
The Bird Group which was established in 1971, today includes the Roseate brand of hotels and resorts, BMW dealerships under Bird Automotive, airport ground handling services across city airports, India’s sole private jet terminal at IGI, and travel technology will be an almost equal partner of this cooperation and will take on the responsibilities of growing the brand in the country.
The company will introduce the scooters next year, according to the top official. For the 2023 debut, the emphasis will be on imported fully finished units and knocked-down kits. Following this Lambretta then aims to start doing extensive local production in the first quarter of 2024. The Lambretta electric variant may be made locally and will be on display at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 2023.
As mentioned earlier the company debuted the new scooter pair at the Milan Design Week 2022 and stated that the scooters will sit on top of the Lambretta scooter lineup. The company also mentioned that the new G350 and the X300 feature classic feelings of Lambretta design elements but provide a host of new advanced features that make them convenient for urban buyers.
The G350 will sit at the top of the G line of Lambretta scooters and comes with a steel monocoque construction and interchangeable side panels. Lambretta revealed the concept of this scooter back in EICMA 2019 dubbed as the G325 and now it has used those same elements in its production variant. The X300 also sports a similar classic Lambretta design and features a square-ish profile along with a fixed front fender. It also gets the iconic Lambretta badge on the front along with a more futuristic design approach.
In terms of features, the new G350 Special scooter gets a TFT multi-function information display that was also featured in the concept scooter showcased at the EICMA 2019. Other features include a USB charger, double arm-link suspension with ABS, Lambretta’s signature hexagonal design full LED headlamp, LED tail lights with the Lambretta logo inside and an engraved Lambretta moniker on the black rubber floor mat.
On the other hand, the X300 model gets features like a semi-digital meter that combines Analogue and LCD, full LED lighting on the front and the rear, a smart keyless entry engine start system, and air vents with a sharp design and a futuristic look. It also gets an arm link with ABS and a disc brake system.