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MOTORCYCLES AND ITALIAN STYLE
Rome - (Adnkronos Multimedia) - Perhaps, more than simply an industry, it is a passion. The passion for motorcycles of every type, from mopeds to scooters, from powerful motorbikes to Grand Prix machines. This passion dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and over the years has led to a system of businesses in continuous development. This is the Italian industry of motorcycles, the second largest in the world, and probably the most important from the historical point of view, with over 170 companies, some of which have been active for over a century. Not to mention almost 15,000 jobs and tens of thousands of workers in related industries; and an overall turnover of € 5 billion, around 50% of which is realized on international markets.
There are brands and models which have become the stuff of legend, symbols of entire ages. A case in point is the Vespa, which was part of the "cast" of Roman Holiday by William Wyler, almost on the level of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Or of the great motorcycles of today, like the Ducati, which all over the world are a testimony for Italy on the level of Ferrari or other great names in fashion. But at the same time, there is also an industrial network which has evolved continuously, responding to changing markets and the new needs of consumers, always successfully taking on the challenge represented by international competition. From what was practically a cottage industry in the early decades of the last century, the "historic" brands of Italian motorcycles became a real industry in the post-war years, with the launch of models which marked Italy's history, from the Vespa to the Moto Guzzi, the Gilera and the MV Agusta. Then, in the 1970s and 1980s, there was the first great transformation of the sector, with the arrival of mopeds, destined for increasingly intense use in the great Italian and European urban areas. Lastly, there was the move towards the large scooters, from Vespa's original idea of and developed to respond to the growing demand for urban mobility.
This process of continuous adaptation was made possible by increased attention to the market, but also by the same passion as at the beginning, which still today makes Italian companies in the sector almost sentimentally linked to their products, breathing into them quality, design, performance and an image which have made them and continue to make them a distinctive sign of Italy all over the world. We have witnessed a continuous revision of company strategies, with the birth of new brands, such as Aprilia, and the rebirth of others, such as Benelli and Morini. This brings us up to the present production structure of the sector, which has recently seen the birth of the world's third biggest producer of motorcycles, the group composed of Piaggio and Aprilia. This now has sufficient size and strength to compete on all fronts on international markets, without losing any of its own industrial tradition, and able to synergically unite the know-how acquired over the decades with the ability to innovate needed to respond to the commercial challenges of the future.
The statistics confirm the Italian to hold ground and respond to the needs of the market. Italian motorcycle production has in fact been solidly maintained over the last 10 years at a level which confirms it first in Europe and second in the world, with around 700,000 units per year, of which 350,000 are for export. This constant productive and commercial trend has remained positive despite the fluctuations characterising the European market over the years, which have forced many of Italy's competitors rethink their strategies. And the prospects for coming years, according to the studies performed by the Association of the manufacturers in the sector (www.ancma.it), are for further growth, also through great investments on distant markets. A case in point is the imminent opening of a new production unit in China, as part of a joint venture between the main local manufacturer and Piaggio.
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