Vespa is the brand name for motor scooters made by the Italian company Piaggio. The name comes from the Italian word for wasp, which is reportedly what the company's leader thought the design resembled when he saw the first one in 1946. The original intent was to provide personal mobility for Italian citizens, but the design caught on, and Vespa motor scooters became a world phenomenon. In the 1960s, Vespas were the vehicles of choice for hip British youths known as Mods. Vespas became associated in the public imagination (in many European countries, at least) with coolness, freedom, and style. Vespas have never achieved the same kind of widespread popularity in the US, but American enthusiasts for vintage Vespas continue to buy, sell, rebuild, restore, and refurbish them with loving care. The vintage Vespa community is active online, and vintage parts, accessories, and retro Vespa gear are available for purchase.
After having trouble meeting emissions standards in the late 1980s and 1990s, Piaggio returned Vespas to the US market in 2001. Today, Vespas, like other motor scooters, are the beneficiaries of the increasing willingness of US consumers to buy motor scooters. Sales of motor scooters have doubled since the year 2000. Rising fuel prices are being given the lion's share of the credit for the increasing popularity of motor scooters.
Another factor may be more subtle. Traffic congestion is getting worse in many areas of the country, leading not only to lost time, but frayed tempers. Riders of Vespas and other motor scooters report a feeling of freedom and fun while riding that commuters in cars and SUVs rarely experience these days. Whatever the reason, even competitors acknowledge that the US market for motor scooters picked up when Vespas reappeared on the scene. The latest model Vespa models are the 200cc engine Granturismo, the new LX, and the classic PX 150.
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