Aboard the Amerigo Vespucci, during its stop in New York, a Vespa event was also held, a meeting between two symbols of Made in Italy, the Italian Navy’s training ship and the most famous scooter in the world. The event marked the debut of a one-off model of the iconic scooter, dedicated to the training ship itself. On this unique Vespa, the glossy black body is crossed by two large white bands recalling the Vespucci’s hull, with graphic details inspired by its portholes, ochre finishes echoing the bulwarks and the bowsprit, and a seat upholstered in Olona canvas, the same fabric used for the ship’s sails. From here we set off for a conversation with Andrea Gucciardi, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, the subsidiary that brings the Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi brands across the ocean, about the group’s future in the United States.
Leading Piaggio Group Americas is a manager who grew up in the world of engines and is, first of all, a passionate enthusiast. Gucciardi told us about his idea of business, the value of representing Italian excellence in New York, and the strategy with which Piaggio is looking at the years ahead on the American market.
Let’s start with you. What was the path that led you to lead Piaggio Group Americas, and what were the decisive moments of your career?
I’ve spent my entire career in an industry I’m first of all deeply passionate about, working both in four wheels and in two wheels. And I’ve had the good fortune to experience it from both sides, from the manufacturer’s side, so wholesale, and from the retail side. Two things have always guided the way I work, the customer and the processes. I firmly believe that a company, in order to function and grow, needs clear, solid and measurable processes, but at the same time I believe you can’t build an effective process without looking at it from the customer’s perspective. The question I often ask my teams is very simple, when you go to buy a product you truly love, how would you like to be treated? That is the experience you have to offer your customers. A decisive moment for me was when I led BMW’s retail branch in Rome. I moved my office from the back office directly into the showroom, into a glass office from which I could see customers coming in and talk to them. That’s where I understood even more clearly that you can’t run a business shut away behind a desk, you have to get out, be on the ground, among people. I believe it’s the only way to truly understand the market and succeed. Whenever I had the recordings of customer satisfaction interviews available, I always dedicated at least two hours a week to listening to them directly, and I asked my teams to do the same. By listening to the customer’s voice you understand where you’re going wrong and what you need to change, but also what you’re doing well and how you can maximize it.
What responsibility do you feel in representing a group that is a symbol of Made in Italy in the United States?
It’s first of all a great source of pride. Representing an Italian group in the United States gives me the opportunity to be, in some way, an amplifier of Italian culture, passion and spirit in a market where Made in Italy is recognized as excellence and holds extraordinary value. It’s a message I try to convey to our network as well. When I talk to dealers, I always remind them that we’re not simply selling a product, we represent Italian excellence and we operate in the high, premium end of the market. This spirit is already very present in our network, but my role is also to emphasize it and make it even stronger. For me, then, representing Made in Italy is certainly a responsibility, but above all a huge plus, and I try to make the most of its strength, turning the values and the culture we represent into a concrete element of our communication and our positioning in the market.
Piaggio is a group with very different brands and a long tradition. What is your vision for Piaggio Group Americas over the next five years?
My vision for the next five years starts from a very simple goal, being closer and closer to the customer. We are mainly a commercial organization and our role is to bring our brands and our products to the market, building the best possible experience for the customer. When I arrived in the United States, last year, one of the first things I noticed was that our network wasn’t widespread enough, and in our industry closeness to the customer is fundamental. If you buy a motorcycle or a scooter and then you have to drive hundreds of miles to find a dealer or get a service, you’re not offering a positive experience, you’re creating a problem for the customer. That’s why we’re investing in the sustainable development of our network and, at the same time, in after-sales, which we’ve strengthened not only in the United States but also in Latin America, where we’ve introduced dedicated resources that didn’t exist before. The third element is training. I believe a great deal in the training of the people who work in our dealerships, and we’re working to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence to develop new training paths for the network. Because, in the end, we don’t talk directly to the customer every day, we speak to the customer above all through our dealers. My vision is to build a network that is more widespread, better prepared and able to offer an ever better experience.
In recent years you’ve invested to strengthen Piaggio’s presence in the United States. Which results make you most proud, and what are the main challenges that remain open?
Starting precisely from the central role of the dealers, one of the results I’m most proud of is the change in the quality of the relationship with our network. We want dealers who are satisfied, profitable and able to convey to customers the values and the passion of our brands, and I believe the best way to build this kind of relationship is to talk to them and, above all, to listen to them. That’s why, over the past year, we’ve hugely intensified the moments of contact with the network. In Anaheim, during AIMExpo, I personally met around fifty dealers in three days, dedicating real time to them in one-to-one meetings. Then COTA, the product training in Sardinia, Vespa’s eightieth anniversary in Rome and, in the coming months, the big Moto Guzzi event in Mandello del Lario and EICMA. They are very different occasions, but they all share one common goal, increasing engagement, sharing the vision of our brands and building a stronger relationship with the dealers. Because if the network understands and embraces the brand’s vision, then you can succeed. The results are coming, we’re increasing the reach of the network and improving the quality of the relationship with our dealers, and this translates into a better experience for the customer and, so far, also into growth in our sales and our market share. Of course many challenges remain, and there are external factors, from the market to tariffs, that we can’t control. My approach is simple, focus energy on what I can control and try to have the greatest impact on what I can influence. As for the rest, you have to be able to adapt quickly.
Are there new projects, investments or initiatives you’re focusing on particularly in the United States, and that you believe will be decisive for the future of Piaggio Group Americas?
I see three major directions, tied to three of our brands. The first is Vespa. We’ve already begun a path of evolution and repositioning of the brand, moving more and more beyond the concept of simple mobility. Vespa is style, elegance, Italian culture, and we want to further strengthen its positioning as a premium brand, bringing it closer and closer to the world of fashion and lifestyle. It’s a path we’re investing a lot in, in the United States. And we also have a few surprises in store. In New York, for example, toward the end of 2027 we’ll have to change our offices, and I’d like our new home not to be simply an office on the ninth floor, but something that brings us physically closer to our customers. For now, though, I can’t say much more. The second direction is Aprilia. The results we’re achieving in MotoGP, the fruit of a significant investment by the Group, are giving the brand extraordinary energy and are also translating into strong commercial momentum. In the United States we want to consolidate and accelerate this growth, further strengthening Aprilia’s sporting positioning. And then there’s Moto Guzzi, a brand in which I believe there’s enormous potential for the American market. The Group has invested a great deal in the renovation of the historic Mandello del Lario plant. It’s not simply a new factory, with very high levels of digitalization, robotics and new technologies, we want it to become a true center of customer experience, a place where the customer can understand and feel the heart that beats inside Moto Guzzi. The new museum, the brand’s history and the Mandello experience represent something that very few manufacturers in the world can offer. And from Mandello new Moto Guzzi models will also arrive, starting next year, on which we have great expectations for the American market. If I had to sum it up, the evolution of Vespa toward a space increasingly tied to style, elegance and lifestyle, the consolidation of Aprilia as a great sporting brand, also through the strength of MotoGP, and a strong relaunch of Moto Guzzi, starting from Mandello, from its history and from the new products that will arrive. Three different brands, three different strategies, but all with enormous potential in the United States.
