Thanks, Artig. (Just got home from long weekend; please pardon the delayed response). That thread was interesting...Is Kymco customarily this vague/uncertain/misleading/?
? about its products?
Based on my readings of several forums daily, all scooter vendors are very vague about their products, especially when you limit your concern about the North American market with the California CARB (Ca air resources board) compliance and federal DOT issues. The scooter produced for the US (and Canadian as I understand) are but a small percentage 5-10% of most manufacturers business. Also, the scooter made for the US must be built different than the EU market scoots which can also be exported/sold to many other country's market without major change (names and other minor cosmetic changes)
The US and Canadian scooter markets have been down since the boom in 2008 with declines in 2009 and 2010. Vespa factory sales to dealers are down 75% since 2008.
Another factor is that KYMCO USA, while partially owned by KYMCO, is still a US importer that may not have complete control over what gets sold here. I think they have a say but not the ability to make demands about what get sold here. Kymco decides what they will offer to Kymco USA, who makes decisions about what it will import and offer to the dealers, who then decide which models they will stock in a given year.
Just my two cents!
