After 76 years of production, Piaggio’s three-wheeled Ape vehicle will no longer be produced at their factory in Pontedera, Italy.
The famous three-wheeler was born in 1948, two years after the Vespa scooter on which it was based entered production.
Commercial Scooter
The first Ape models featured a Vespa front end mated with a commercial back. Later on the Ape evolved with a cab for the driver and the ability to carry heavier payloads, while retaining their small dimensions that made it the ideal commercial vehicle to travel through the narrow streets of Italy’s ancient towns and cities.
Ape 50
As with numerous aspects of the automotive industry today, a finger could be pointed towards politicians and their legislation regarding why Piaggio have made this decision. The last Ape to be produced in Italy was powered by a 50cc 4-speed 2-stroke engine, not too dissimilar to the motor seen in the last of the Vespa PK smallframe scooters from the late 1990s.
EDIT – since originally publishing this blog on 31 December 2024, information has come to light to suggest that regulations alone are not the reason, but a decline in demand for small three-wheelers in the European market. Adapting the Ape to stringent European standards in terms of safety and the environment (eg emissions) required updates such as the introduction of airbags and assisted braking systems for a vehicle with a current limited market in Europe is simply not feasible.
Electric Ape
Piaggio Vespa Ape Electric
One can’t help but be saddened by this situation, especially as the Ape is physically an ideal vehicle to use around towns and cities. Many of us in the UK grew up with electric powered three-wheeled milk floats making daily deliveries to our homes. Piaggio themselves produced an electric Ape back in the 1990s, but the market obviously wasn’t ready for it at the time.
The Ape will however continue to live on. Piaggio’s factory in India has been producing traditional and electric versions of the Ape for many years and will continue to do so for Indian and African markets where vehicles are less regulated than in Europe and the local economy still appreciates everything these small three-wheeled commercial vehicle offer.
Back at Pontedera Piaggio Commercial will instead focus on their Porter range of four-wheeled commercial vehicles, which does have an electric model in the line-up and the Ape production line will be set up for this instead.
For the time being, the Ape will still be available in Italy thanks to pre-produced stock in the factory warehouses.
Vespa Production
Contrary to some ill-informed posts on social media, Piaggio have not ceased production of the Vespa at their Pontedera plant in Italy.
On 28 November 2024 Italy’s Il Tirreno reported that production at the Piaggio plant would slow from 2 December prior to their Christmas shutdown on 20 December. They reported just over 1,000 workers from different areas of the factory would be affected, not just the Vespa production lines.
On 29 November 2024 they reported on the closure of the Ape production line at Pontedera.
The fact is that the European automotive industry in general is not having a good time. Il Tirreno also reported this on 17 December 2024, naming a number of other Italian companies suffering, including fellow Pontedera business Mitsuba Italia who produce electrical components including starter motors for the automotive industry and have been hit by the financial problems of Austria’s KTM motorcycles.
With numerous European two and four-wheel manufacturers unhappy at the way bureaucrats have forced through legislation relating to internal combustion engines and pollution, along with a market currently struggling against high costs across the board, 2025 looks like it will be another year of uncertainly for those in the motorcycle and car industries.
However, at the time of writing, there are no plans for Piaggio to cease production of their Vespa scooter at their Pontedera plant in Italy. Indeed Piaggio are very much aware how valuable the Italian produced Vespa is to them and always has been (see the article on Japanese smallframe models of the 1990s in the latest ScooterNova magazine for example). Don’t believe everything you read on social media…
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