Team-BHP scoops the Piaggio Porter 600 mini pick up truck

After failing to make a significant impact at the hustings with the Ape Mini range of 0.5 Ton pick up trucks, Italian automaker Piaggio has dug into its global portfolio to bring the Porter range of mini pick up trucks to India. The Porter 600 (BS-III) and the 1000 (BS-IV) models are the two new mini pick up trucks that Piaggio plans to sell in India.

The Porter series of mini pick up trucks were first introduced in Italy two decades ago, when Piaggio joined hands with Japanese automaker Daihatsu. Ever since, the Porter platform has spawned a range of variants including a passenger van and a tipper truck. Petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG and Electric power options are available on the Porter series.

In the past, the Porter has been sold in European markets under the Daihatsu Hijet badge. While the official launch of these pick up trucks is yet to happen in India, the Porter 600 has already begun arriving into Piaggio India showrooms. Team-BHP scooped the Porter 600 mini pick up truck, a rival to the Tata Ace Zip, at a Piaggio dealership.

Showrooms sources indicate that the deliveries of the Porter 600 BS-III will commence shortly, with the Porter 1000 to also go on sale soon. The Porter 600, as its name indicates is a mini pick up truck with a rated payload of 600 kilograms, which is similar to the 600 Kg payload that the Tata Ace Zip comes with. The Porter 600 is powered by a single cylinder diesel engine that displaces 511cc. 

This motor outputs a peak power of 10 Bhp while peak torque is rated at 27 Nm. These figures are lower than what the Tata Ace Zip's diesel engine (11 Bhp-31 Nm) outputs. The Porter 600's engine is mated to a 4 speed manual gearbox. Showroom sources indicate that the Porter 600 would be priced at about 2.6 lakhs, on-road Maharashtra. A mileage of 22 Kmpl and a top speed of 60 Kph are the claimed performance figures. 

With the advent of the Porter series of pick up trucks in India, Piaggio has discontinued the slow selling Ape Mini series. The Porter series is also expected to spawn a passenger van in the coming years. The passenger carrier version will rival the likes of the Tata Magic and the Mahindra Maxximo van, people movers that are a regular sight in semi-urban and rural parts of India.

The Porter series will be produced at Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited's (The Italian automaker's subsidiary) factory at Baramati, Maharashtra. Apart from selling the Porter in India, Piaggio has plans of exporting the mini pick up trucks to Europe and other markets. The Italian automaker, after entering India in 1998 through a joint venture with Greaves India, bought out Greaves's stake, and now runs a 100% subsidiary operation. 

The Porter 600, along with its bigger Porter 1000 sibling, is Piaggio India's bid to tap into the fastest growing segments of the Indian commercial vehicle space: the mini pick up truck sector. Aimed at last mile connectivity, mini pick up trucks, led by the pioneering Tata Ace, have revolutionized goods transport in crowded inner city, semi-urban and rural areas alike.