Piaggio MP3 Hybrid US Pricing Announced

The North American division of the Piaggio Group announced today the pricing and availability for 2011, revealing that the MP3 Hybrid is the only MP3 listed in the company’s US product lineup. Getting straight to the point, the vehicle will be available for customers at a price of $8,499.

Available in the European market since 2009, the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid will finally making its way to North America in the second half of 2011.

However, the company also revealed it will be offering only the 125 version of the MP3 Hybrid but not the 300 version, which is available overseas.

The vehicle is powered by a 124cc four-stroke engine and a synchronous brushless permanent magnet electric motor in a parallel configuration, and is able to run in a fully electric zero-emission mode. The MP3 Hybrid can also run in two hybrid modes, Charge and Power.

According to Piaggio, the hybrid powertrain produces 15 hp at 8500rpm and 11.8 ft-lb. at 3000 rpm while the electric mode produces 3.5 hp and 11 ft-lb. Piaggio also claims fuel consumption of 141 mpg, running hybrid mode 65% of the time and electric mode for the other 35% while releasing 40 g/km in CO2 emissions (by comparison, Piaggio claims 90 g/km for the average gasoline-powered scooter).

The Piaggio MP3 Hybrid is priced slightly lower than the 2010 MP3 400cc ($8,699), and the MP3 500 ( $8,899) but higher than the MP3 250 ($7,199). The line-up will welcome the MP3 City (also known as the MP3 Yourban in other markets) in 2012.