Next to Kymco, PGO is arguably the most well-known Taiwanese scooter brand in the world. And just like Kymco, there are a few lesser-known things about PGO Scooters. In this blog post, you’ll discover:
- Whether PGO and Piaggio are the same company
- Which PGO do Swedish Foodora delivery riders prefer?
- A 1600 cc motorcycle with the PGO brand?
Quicklinks:
- #1: PGO and Piaggio = True?
- #2: Genuine Scooters and PGO = True?
- #3: The PGO Big Max – The Transport of Choice for the Danish Mail Service and Swedish Foodora Delivery Riders
- #4: PGO UR1 & UR2 – PGO’s Brand New EV Scooters
- #5: What is Motive Power Industry?
- #6: PGO Became the First Taiwanese Scooter Company in Europe
- #7: The PGO V2 1600 = A Prototype PGO Motorcycle
#1: PGO and Piaggio = True?
Their names might sound familiar, but they’re different companies – PGO being Taiwanese and Piaggio being Italian. But despite this, they have one thing in common – a partnership that lasted between 1972 and 1982. That’s where the name comes from – the PGO letters are taken from the “Piaggio” name.
#2: Genuine Scooters and PGO = True?
But Piaggio isn’t the only scooter manufacturer PGO have had a partnership with – since 2006, they’ve also had a working partnership with the Chicago-based Genuine Scooters. So much so that many Genuine Scooters are rebadged PGOs. For example, the popular Genuine Buddy Kick is a rebadged PGO PA – and the Genuine Roughhouse 50 is a rebadged PGO Big Max. And while we’re on the topic of the PGO Big Max…
#3: The PGO Big Max – The Transport of Choice for the Danish Mail Service and Swedish Foodora Delivery Riders
The PGO Big Max is a scooter that has seen its fair share of use as a delivery vehicle. For example, the Danish Post service (formerly known as “Post Denmark”) used a fleet of PGO Big Max scooters to deliver the mail. And the Post Denmark service wasn’t the only one. If you’re ever in Gothenburg, Sweden and you happen to see a Foodora or UberEats delivery rider, check out the scooter they’re riding. Odds are good that it’s a PGO Big Max 50.
#4: PGO UR1 & UR2 – PGO’s Brand New EV Scooters
If you thought that PGO missed the memo about EVs, think again. In recent years, two new electric scooters named the UR1 and UR2 were introduced to the Taiwanese market. The UR1 sports a 6,4kW engine, LED headlights and is powered by the Gogoro network. The UR2 is fairly similar – in case you’re interested in seeing a review of the PGO UR1 and UR2, check out the video below (Chinese-language, without English subtitles):
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#5: What is Motive Power Industry?
If you research PGO long enough, you’ll inevitably discover a company called “Motive Power Industry.” Simply put, Motive Power Industry is the company that manufactures PGO scooters.
#6: PGO became the First Taiwanese Scooter Company in Europe
In 1986, Motive Power Industry partnered with the France-based import and export company Societe Commerciale Euro-Taiwanaise (EUROTAI). It was largely EUROTAI that introduced PGO Scooters to the European market in 1988. This was quite the milestone, as this made PGO the first Taiwanese scooter brand in Europe.
#7: The PGO V2 1600 = A Prototype PGO Motorcycle
PGO might be primarily known for making scooters, but just like Kymco, they have tried their hands at making motorcycles. Case in point, the PGO V2 1600. Introduced in 1993, the V2 1600 sported a whopping 1600 cc V-twin SOHC engine. But while it looks amazing, it never made it to production.
