Vespa brings Italian style to the streets of Beijing

Vespa, the scooter brand owned by Italy's Piaggio Group, is betting that the growing use of scooters in big Chinese cities will raise its sales over the next decade.

The Italian company is looking to boost its international growth in China's lucrative market.

Vespa scooter, the ride of Audrey Hepburn in her famous movie Roman Holiday, is an Italian style icon.

Vespa finally entered the Chinese market when it opened its first flagship store in Beijing last week.

The company said it would bring young consumers a new style of individual freedom, both for leisure driving and urban commuting.

The scooters have Vespa's fuel injection engines, which are at the edge of technological breakthrough. The machines set international standards for low emissions and fuel consumption and meet China's demand for environmental protection.

Costantino Sambuy, head of Piaggio Asia-Pacific, said the company selected Beijing for the first China store because of the interest in high-end motorbikes and fashion.

The capital has seen dramatic economic growth in recent years and Vespa said the city could lead the scooter trend throughout China.

"Vespa shows incomparable style in design and a strong cosmopolitan personality, a bold and fashionable character to reflect drivers' sophisticated and trend-setting lifestyle," Sambuy said.

"In comparison with other motorbikes, our scooters are designed and equipped to be easy to drive for both men and women; each version can fit different personalities and attitudes," Sambuy said.

"The great part, beside the unique design of each Vespa, is the variety of colors, which has profound cultural meaning."

Since 1946 when the Vespa scooter was first engineered in Italy, the Piaggio Group has continuously kept designing new breakthrough models, upgrading vehicle and engine features to the utmost level of efficiency and durability.

More than 150 different models, versions and variations of Vespa have been created during the brand's 68 years of existence.

Knowing that Beijing is a culturally diverse city with a large number of young and foreign people, Sambuy said he believed the Chinese capital, no less than Rome, Paris or New York, will soon see the colorful, trendy Italian style Vespas on its streets.