Im talking about their commercial vehicles operations.
I know they make the Porter van ( Hijet clone ) but thats about it.
Anyone know how long they have been selling in this country, how many dealers, how solid they are financially etc etc? Not really interested in the vehicles themselves but more the company behind them.
Thanks for any info in advance.
|
Stu
How could you overlook the Ape.....
I have done work for a dealer - the tech back-up was a joke, they couldn't even get hold of a wiring diagram. Parts were always.... "dimani." [That's like manana - only worse.]
The actual vehicles weren't bad; surprisingly advanced and still very "old-Jap" build quality. Seem to sell alright, mainly to estates; councils and parks. The twin-wheel tipper and the elevating rubbish truck are quite neat.
The build quality of the Ape was something else entirely.... Quite a hoot to drive though - particularly the two-seater.
|
I didnt so much overlook the Ape, I know of it, they tend to be stuck on roundabouts with advertising boards on them, but they are really a bike more than a car or van.
I was talking to the local dealer, who is the only one in midlands, also a Suzuki and Santana ( and who are they? LR Defender clones ) dealer. He reckoned that Piaggio were steady and that they will continue to sell them because as its the only microvan on the market now, many local authorities are buying them up, esp given the variations available.
What was interesting is that my local Daihatsu dealer said that they would have no objections to working on them as they can use Daihatsu parts as it is a Hijet in all but name ( Piaggio actually built the last model Hijet for Daihatsu ). As such, Im suprised that parts were a problem, but thanks for the heads-up on that.
One reason im attracted to the Porter is the old-style jap build quality - its worth its weight in gold. Safety is terrible mind you! Still, not much wordealerse than my Suzuki van really and I do know that the dealer, same one who looks after me brilliantly as a Suzuki owner, is backing the vehicle, so despite its limited support network, atleast theres a good dealer local to me.
Im just wondering if the company itself is stable, whether they are making any money etc
|
|
|
|
Don't know abot their prowess in vans but they're quite good at bigger stuff!!
tinyurl.com/29hsle
(Used to see "the Toby Jug plane" regularly as a kid; helped stimulate a lifelong interest in aircraft!!)
|
Santana, by the way, is a Spanish company that used to build Land Rovers under licence. Gradually they altered their designs such that they diverged from Land Rovers.
When Land Rover went over to coil springs with the 90 and 110, Santana contnued to develop their models with leaf springs. Not sure what the position is now.
Does that answer the Piaggio question? I fear not!
|
Well no but its a bit more semi-useless info that I love to aquire :-)
Santana looks quite cheap - they have new station wagon ones for £15k which looks like good value compared to the Defender.
|
|
|
|
Piaggio were established in Italy in the 19th century.
They've been importing Vespas into the UK since the 1950's, they're one of the biggest scooter manufacturers in the world.
They're also listed on the Milan Stock Exchange.
Edited by Chris S on 14/02/2008 at 12:59
|
>>Im just wondering if the company itself is stable, whether they are making any money etc
77.6 million euros *profit* in 9 months up 20% and sales up 10% to 1.285 billion euros -it looks like they're getting by.
|
I was more interested in the UK importer itself - I heard that Perodua were now handling imports of the vans but Perodua UK isnt a big operation in itself is it?
Im just worried about dealers disappearing and not being able to claim on warranty if needed.
Anyone have any experience of Perodua?
|
|
|
|
