Following on from the news that Scooters India Limited are possibly planning a return to the scooter market, albeit with an electric Lambretta, it also emerges that Swiss-based Innocenti – manufacturer of the Lambretta V-Special will enter India with both an electric model and a ‘Super Lambretta’ with a steel body and maybe a larger engine.
Innocenti are reputed to be working with New Delhi based Lohia Auto, a two and three-wheeled manufacturer for their entry into India and also with the New Delhi based Bird group who have both businesses in both the automotive and the aviation sectors. Innocenti plans to show a prototype at the Auto Expo in February 2020. Details of the electric Lambretta aren’t yet known but Innocenti said ‘It closely cooperates with a reputed global partner.’ Production of the Innocenti Lambretta models will serve both Indian and surrounding countries, (including Africa) and is likely to be based around the Mumbai area.
Super Lambretta
More interesting than an electric Lambretta, Innocenti also announced the development of a ‘Super Lambretta’ designed especially for the Indian market as an ‘Aspirational model.’ It will be steel bodied and more spacious in size than the existing V-Special. The model will be designed to appeal to aspirational young people who appreciate Italian design and want a premium product.
Legal wranglings
Innocenti (Brandconcern) launched legal proceedings against several trademark applications registered by Scooters India limited, citing lack of use of the Lambretta trademark.
Back in 2010 they also issued multi-million dollar proceedings against Scooters India in relation to ‘Unlawful licencing of the Lambretta trademark in the EU.’ The court dismissed both cases in March 2017 and ordered Brandconcern (Innocenti) to pay costs.
We’ll be watching this one closely…
Thanks to Trevor Parkes for the tip-off about this one.
New products always in development…
They may have trouble there, the legal technicality that let Innocenti steal the name from SIL most likely won’t work in India. Personally I feel that Innocenti have behaved appallingly and deserve to lose.
If SIL can produce evidence of building just one Lambretta in the 10 years prior to the legal wrangling with Alexandro Tartarini then the whole legal case will overturn. If you remember Alexandro won twice in court before Innocenti won but by then he was out of money and fight.
Any scooter buyer that has even a shred of fair play should boycott these new Lambrettas, let’s face it they are nothing like a real Lambretta anyhow, just a rebadged, reskinned and regurgitated SYM.
Hey if you are desperately after a Lambretta-esq scooter buy a Scomadi! At least the owners of that company have made it to where they are with genuine hard work and their own ingenuity.