Survey shows scooter interest – June 6, 2006

As gas prices soar to record highs, a survey released last month indicates 30 percent of U.S. consumers would be “extremely” or “somewhat likely” to use a scooter for their everyday transportation needs.
According to the survey, conducted in May by ICR on behalf of Piaggio Group Americas, individuals indicated a willingness to transfer 35 percent of their weekly mileage to a scooter. The survey also found that 33 percent of respondents would be likely to use a scooter to reduce emissions harmful to the environment, and 35 percent would be likely to use a scooter to save $25 a week on gasoline. Piaggio leadership said comparing the results of the survey to Department of Energy national averages for fuel consumption and emissions shows that if Americans were to utilize one of the scooters available in the market today, they could, in aggregate, reduce national fuel consumption by 14 million gallons of gasoline per day and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 324 million pounds per day.
Scooters were defined in the survey as two-wheel vehicles that can reach 40 mph to 100 mph and have an average cost of $2,000 or more.
“The benefits of scooters are well-known around the globe, as they are part of the daily behavior for millions of people worldwide,” said Paolo Timoni, president and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas. “While growing in popularity, scooters are only marginally embraced in the U.S. where millions of individuals drive cars in situations where motor scooters would be perfectly appropriate and convenient. Scooters are an additional transportation solution to help reduce consumer gas spending, but also provide an environmentally friendly transportation mode as a result of its low mpg and modern engine technologies.” psb