Editing Vespa (section)

===Under new ownership===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2010}}
In 1959 Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family, the owners of car maker [[Fiat S.p.A.]] Vespa thrived until 1992 when Giovanni Alberto Agnelli became CEO, but Agnelli was already suffering from cancer and died in 1997. In 1999 [[Morgan Grenfell|Morgan Grenfell Private Equity]] acquired Piaggio, but a quickly hoped-for sale was dashed by a failed joint venture in China.{{fact|date=May 2025}}

By 2003 the company found itself close to bankruptcy. Continual management changes and great sums spent on many different plans and products had saddled Piaggio with debt and left it vulnerable to competition from cheaper Asian rivals. Despite this, the brand was still well-known and products like the Vespa ET4 were gaining positive publicity. In October 2003 [[Roberto Colaninno]] made an initial investment of €100&nbsp;million through his holding company Immsi S.p.A. in exchange for just under a third of Piaggio and the mandate to run it. Chief executive Rocco Sabelli redesigned the factory to Japanese principles so that every Piaggio scooter could be made on any assembly line.{{fact|date=May 2025}}

In 2004 the company introduced a gas-electric hybrid scooter and a scooter with two wheels at the front and one at the back.{{fact|date=May 2025}}

Piaggio acquired scooter and motorcycle maker [[Aprilia]] in 2006 and in that same year Piaggio shares were launched onto the [[Borsa Italiana]] with the listing symbol PIAGF..{{fact|date=May 2025}}