Piaggio Group Americas announced that the MP3 Hybrid will premiere in the U.S. during the second half of 2011 with a price tag of $8,499. The Piaggio MP3 Hybrid is powered by a 124 cc four-stroke engine and a synchronous brushless permanent magnet electric motor in a parallel configuration.
In fact, the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid has been available in Europe since 2009. The company added that only the 125 version of the MP3 Hybrid will be available in the U.S.
The hybrid powertrain of the MP3 Hybrid reportedly produces 15 hp at 8500 rpm and 11.8 ft-lb. at 3000 rpm while the electric mode produces 3.5hp and 11 ft-lb. Fuel consumption is claimed to be 141 mpg when it runs on hybrid mode 65% of the time and electric mode for the other 35%. CO2 emissions are touted to be 40 g/km.
The MP3 Hybrid can run in a fully electric mode as well as in two hybrid modes namely Charge and Power. In Hybrid Charge mode, power from the combustion engine charges the lithium ion batteries. Meanwhile in Hybrid Power mode, the electric motor gives a boost during standing starts and brisk acceleration.
Incidentally, the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid is the only new MP3 listed in Piaggio’s 2011 U.S. product lineup. It is priced lower than the 2010 MP3 400 cc that is priced at $8,699 and the MP3 500 that is priced at $8,899. Nonetheless, it is costlier than the MP3 250 that has a price tag of $7,199. They will be joined by the MP3 City, also known as the MP3 Yourban in other markets, in 2012.
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