Live chats – Live chat with Marcel Driessen, CEO of Piaggio France – Occasions PIAGGIO

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Live chat with Marcel Driessen, CEO of Piaggio France

Live chats - Live chat with Marcel Driessen, CEO of Piaggio France - Occasions PIAGGIO

Transcript of the chat that took place this afternoon with Marcel Driessen: the new CEO of Piaggio France responded live to your many questions about the brands Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi.

Site: Hello Mr. Driessen, welcome to the live chat with Site readers !
Response from Marcel Driessen : Hello everyone, I am very happy to be here !

Question from akty: The importer Moto Guzzi France has a very bad reputation, your dealers are timid … I own a BMW R1100S from 99 and last year the one in Lyon refused to test a Guzzi 1200S under excuse that he did not want to take my motorcycle back. However, the local representatives of the 4 big Japanese are more inclined to do covers…
Response from Marcel Driessen : Yes it can happen and I regret it, but we are currently working to help the dealers to make recoveries. That said, the dealer is an independent trader who can decide not to take back a motorcycle, for various reasons such as difficulty in reselling.

Question from Lucsaint: Classic Vespa competitions now exist in France. What does Piaggio intend to do to help this "historical-sporting" discipline? 🙂
Response from Marcel Driessen : We have been partners of Vespa Clubs since the creation of Vespa in 1946! But scooter competition is a very specific activity in which it is difficult for a manufacturer to invest. I’m glad you signed up for the Vespa heritage, but racing is not a strategic area for Vespa…

"We do not forget the roots of Vespa, on the contrary, but our vehicles must meet the new expectations of consumers"

Question from Lucsaint: Don’t you fear one day suffering the fate of Land Rover (in the red then bought by Tata) by dint of forgetting your roots ?
Response from Marcel Driessen : We are not forgetting the roots of Vespa at all, on the contrary! We regularly launch new products that respect the brand’s genes, such as the self-supporting metal shell that has been around since the beginning. But we are no longer in 1946, our vehicles must meet new consumer expectations. And the past is not forgotten, with the Vintage LXV and GTV series !

Question from the bear: Why not have gone all the way in the concept of an easy and practical motorcycle, by equipping the Mana with a secondary belt transmission? Too bad, I could have cracked. I will keep my belted motorcycle for a long time which, another advantage, consumes only 4.5 l / 100 maximum.
Response from Marcel Driessen : We thought about it at the beginning, but this solution was not adopted. That said, the arguments of Mana are elsewhere: we must keep both the advantages of a motorcycle and a scooter (automatic transmission, helmet box, etc.). We are discussing with the Italians to study a more protective Mana…

"We are discussing with the Italians to study a more protective Mana"

Question from JCX_toubon: Hello Mr. Driessen, I am a Motana distributor in the PACA region. I am surprised by the low penetration of the Aprilia brand in the area, are there any distribution possibilities? Thank you
Response from Marcel Driessen : Hello, you need to get in touch with your Motana contact, but a priori we are interested in working with you through Motana !

Question from JCX_toubon: Question about your collaboration with Motana: we hear in the market that some Motana dealers have not received the authorization to distribute Aprilia, although they are motivated and that Aprilia France has little or no presence in the region?
Response from Marcel Driessen : Please call me at Piaggio France to discuss this in more detail !

Question from benoit: The Shiver costs 8,399 € following the increase in your prices in April, is it reasonable when a Street Triple costs less than 8,000 €? … with the service that goes with it !
Response from Marcel Driessen : We currently have a promotion which places the Shiver at 7799 euros until July 31 … But you are right! We understood that the price was high and we are trying to find a solution to offer a more affordable motorcycle….

"Our dealers have a single sales contact"

Question from paulo les gaz: Could you quickly introduce the Piaggio group to us? How are the different brands managed within it. And how is it that Piaggio France does not manage the Derbi brand? Thank you !
Response from Marcel Driessen : Piaggio France, nearly 45,000 vehicles sold last year in France. We represent the Piaggio, Vespa and Gilera brands, as well as Aprilia and Moto Guzzi. The Derbi brand also belongs to the Piaggio group, like other brands, but for historical reasons Motana remains the importer for France. They also do a very good job, with a market share of almost 30% on 50cc motorcycles! Since April 1, we have gathered all the brands under a single hat: the dealers have a single sales contact for all the brands and the group is seizing the opportunity to develop all the brands, better than what has been done so far.

"There will be a Dorsoduro 1200 and also a Shiver 1200!"

Question from Clayde: Hello, some time ago Aprilia was talking about a V1200. Where is this project at? Thank you !
Response from Marcel Driessen : There will be a Dorsoduro 1200 and also a Shiver 1200! We hope to be able to present them to you in 2010, but it is not yet confirmed … If you were thinking of an RSV 1200 V2, it is not relevant !

Question from Hog1200S: Hello, when is an MP3 LT 500 hybrid or a 400 hybrid? Thank you
Response from Marcel Driessen : The hybrid engine has so far been developed on the 125, because it is the most universal displacement in Europe. The design entails very heavy investments, which oblige us to first concentrate our efforts on the best-selling vehicles. However, it is not impossible that in the future, the hybrid engine will be available on other displacements..

"Almost half of the 2008 volumes are due to the Atlantic 125"

Question from alex: Mr. Driessen, the bulk of your Aprilia volumes is made by the Atlantic 125 but what is the future of this product within the Piaggio group with an already exhaustive scooter range? ?
Response from Marcel Driessen : It is true that almost half of the 2008 volumes are due to the Atlantic, thanks to our aggressive positioning in terms of price (2999 euros). We tried to increase in 2009, but we came back to a low price and we will try to keep it to keep this excellent value for money totally justified within the range of the Piaggio group..

Question from Tuono1000: Do you plan a Tuono version of the RSV4 ?
Response from Marcel Driessen : The old Tuono being "born" from the RSV1000, we can indeed imagine a naked version of the RSV4 … But it will not be for next year !

"We can indeed imagine a naked version of the RSV4 …"

Question from jice: Hello, considering the recurring problems of the Aprilia brand for years, do you think that the price positioning as established today is judicious? ?
Response from Marcel Driessen : Hello, at the time it was indeed questionable, but today we know improved a lot of things and consolidated the network! Aprilia has invested a lot in R&D to create new engines and the after-sales service has been significantly improved. I invite you to test it, because it has nothing to do with 2004, when Aprilia had financial problems. It does not mean that everything is already perfect, we are in the process of regaining the trust of the network and we are doing promotions, especially on the Shiver and the Tuono.

"All current motorcycle and scooter engines of the group’s brands (Piaggio, Gilera, Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi) are compatible with E10 fuel"

Suspension question: Hello. Is the Piaggio fleet compatible with the E10 ?
Response from Marcel Driessen : Yes ! All current motorcycle and scooter engines of the brands of the group (Piaggio, Gilera, Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi) are compatible with E10 fuel.

Question from mimi55: Most of the so-called "exclusive" brands, Triumph, Ducati, BMW … offer loyalty programs and customer relations that enhance the owners of these brands. Why is an Aprilia or Guzzi customer not entitled to such treatment? signed: an RSV 1000 (V2) client
Response from Marcel Driessen : You are absolutely right, we do not do enough things for our customers, but we are going to remedy this by offering you lots of cool things, starting with the Superbike at Magny-Cours where we will bring together loyal customers like you ! Stay tuned to our communications in the coming weeks…

"There are fewer bodily accidents on MP3 LTs than on two-wheelers in general"

Question from Eric: Hello, I was wondering if the slaughter announced by the bikers, outraged that the "cashiers" had access to a 30 horsepower scooter, took place? Have you had any fallout from insurance? Thank you. Eric.
Response from Marcel Driessen : Yes we have information from major insurance companies, and it turns out that there are fewer personal injuries on MP3 LTs than on two-wheelers in general.

Question from Pierre: Hello, what will be the technical specifications and especially the final price of the RSV4 R? By the way, thank you Moto-Net for this test of the Factory version which made me drool. !
Response from Marcel Driessen : The technical specifications are almost the same as for the RSV4 Factory, with notably fewer carbon parts, a less sophisticated suspension, etc. The launch is scheduled for October and the price will be … competitive (we are trying to keep it below the 16,000 euros mark) !

"We are trying to keep the price of the RSV4 R below the 16,000 euro mark"

Question from Inspector Derrick: Hallo! You worked in Germany at Ducati then Aprilia. What are the differences between these two Italian brands? What about German and French bikers and market? Tschussi
Response from Marcel Driessen : There are few differences between Aprilia and Ducati. The two brands have the same racing spirit, they always want to race and win them, they have a great sports track record, they both have many enthusiasts among their staff, etc. Regarding the difference between German and French bikers, it’s difficult to generalize but it seems to me that German bikers use their motorcycle less for everyday life than French bikers. Speaking of the market, there is no 125 equivalence in Germany. The German market is more driven by large engines while in France it is more the medium displacement.

"Steve McQueen, you are my hero but change brands!"

Question from Steve McQueen: Sunglasses, Leather, Long hair … You look very cool in the photo of motonet Mr Driessen! Is that why Piaggio hired you ?
Response from Marcel Driessen : Yes Steve, I try to be like you, you are my hero but change brand !

Site question: The chat ends, thank you to our readers for their questions and thank you for answering them !
Response from Marcel Driessen : Thank you for your questions, I hope to see you soon on the circuits, on the events or on the road !

Collected live by Site readers

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