Piaggio South Africa Tuk Tuks

Piaggio South Africa, also known as Piaggio Commercial SA, was established by Doug Acheson in 2018 and is located in Riversands, Johannesburg. The company serves as the official Importer and Distributor of Piaggio Apé Three Wheel vehicles in South Africa. Piaggio, headquartered in Pontedera, Italy, is a global manufacturer known for iconic brands like Vespa, Aprilia motorcycles, Porter Trucks, and the versatile Apé Three Wheel Passenger and Commercial vehicles.

Piaggio South Africa focuses on the Sales, Marketing, Distribution, and Support of the Piaggio Apé brand within the country. The Apé, pronounced “Apay” (Italian for “Bee”), is a versatile Three-Wheeled vehicle used for Passenger Transport and numerous commercial applications, including Mobile vending Stations for the Coffee / Food and Beverage industry, and small-scale Last Mile logistics for Supermarkets, Couriers, Spazas, Liquor Stores, Laundromats, Hotels and Estates etc.

The company caters to both Businesses and Private individuals, offering cost-effective, Low-Maintenance, and Fuel-Efficient vehicles. This makes the Piaggio Apé an attractive option across various industries, contributing to job creation, not to mention their distinctive appearance, which makes them an effective moving Billboard for advertising.

Piaggio South Africa provides comprehensive aftersales services, including Parts Supply, Maintenance, and Technical Support, ensuring customers receive ongoing support throughout their vehicle’s lifecycle. The South African distributor adheres to Piaggio’s global standards while adapting to the unique demands of the local market, offering tailored solutions to meet the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region.

Meet our Team

Doug Acheson

Managing Director

Doug Acheson is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, covering importation, distribution, and retail markets in South Africa. He pioneered the introduction of lightweight aluminium bull bars for pickup vehicles, supplying major brands like Toyota, Nissan, and Isuzu, and later expanded his business to provide aluminium bull bars to the heavy-duty trucking industry, working with brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Scania, International, and Mack.

In addition to his ventures in vehicle accessories, Doug has owned motorcycle dealerships for prestigious brands like Suzuki and Honda and has traveled extensively to secure distribution rights for reputable motorcycle brands from Italy, the US, and Asia. Driven by his pioneering efforts in the importation of used motorcycles led to his company becoming the largest motorcycle dealership in the country.

In 2016, Doug successfully acquired the import and distribution rights for Piaggio’s Apé Three-Wheel Tuk Tuk brand from Piaggio Italy for Southern Africa. Under his leadership, Piaggio has become the market leader in last-mile delivery solutions and mobile food vehicle customisation in South Africa.

Rual de Vos

Technical Sales Manager

With over 15 years of experience in the automotive and motorcycle industries, Rual de Vos has built a robust career centred around customer service, technical expertise, and management. Starting as a Parts Sales Executive, Rual rapidly advanced through various roles, ultimately leading the Aftersales Department. His tenure saw him mastering everything from client care and invoicing to project management and logistics.

In 2018, Rual transitioned to a leadership role as Dealer Principal, where he managed dealership operations and honed his leadership skills. Since February 2020, Rual has been the Technical Sales Manager at Piaggio South Africa, where he oversees technical sales, service and repair operations, and the import and distribution of parts.

Rual’s education and extensive technical training in Italy have equipped him with a deep understanding of advanced systems, diagnostics, and service procedures. His strong management skills, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities make him a key asset to Piaggio South Africa, ensuring top-notch service and customer satisfaction.

The History of Piaggio

Piaggio Commercial Apé is an Italian designed Piaggio Tri-Porter. Piaggio Tuk Tuks history began at the Italian Piaggio factory in Pontedera, near the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy.

At the end of World War II, most Italians, badly affected by the war, lacked viable modes of transport, and more importantly, the financial means to acquire full-sized four-wheeled vehicles. In 1947 the inventor of the Vespa Scooter, aircraft designer Corradino D’Ascanio, came up with the idea of building a light three wheeled commercial vehicle to power Italy’s economical reconstruction, an idea which found favour with Enrico Piaggio, the son of the firm’s founder, Rinaldo.

The very first Piaggio Ape model and the model immediately following it, were mechanically a Vespa Scooter with two wheels added to the rear, with a flat-bed structure on top of the rear axle. In the early sale brochures and adverts the vehicle was referred to as the VespaCar or TriVespa and cost 170.000 liras. The first Apes featured 50cc, 125cc or 150cc and more recently 175cc and 422cc diesel engines. By the time of the 1964 Ape D model a cab was added to protect the driver from the elements. The Ape has been in continuous production since its inception and has been produced in a variety of different body styles in Italy and other parts of the globe.

Controlled with scooter style handlebars, the original Ape was designed to sit one person in front, but can accommodate a second passenger (with a tight fit) in its cab. The load body and van models have a door on each side, making it quicker to get out of the vehicle when making deliveries to different sides of the road.

Performance is suited to the job of light delivery and short distance travel, with good torque for hills but a low top speed, which is irrelevant in the urban settings for it was designed.