CNG also available with all-wheel drive

Together with its long-standing partner for 4×4 drives, Officine Cucini, the Italian Piaggio Group, has developed an all-wheel drive system for the popular Porter NP6. From the end of October, the all-wheel-drive Porter will be available as an ideal partner for SMEs and municipal applications where some off-road use is required.

CNG-Mobility.ch was already able to test the versatile Piaggio Porter NP6 as a reverse tipper in everyday use: we very much liked the all-rounder with its manoeuvrability and low fuel consumption. At the end of October, the Porter family will be joined by a very exciting variant – particularly for the Swiss market: an all-wheel drive system with CNG drive has been developed for the Porter NP6 together with the company’s long-standing partner for 4×4 drives, Officine Cucini based in Barberino Tavarnelle (I).

Thanks to its four-wheel drive and reduction ratio (for use at speeds of up to 30 km/h), the small city truck can also venture into unpaved terrain and cuts a fine figure here, too, thanks to its distribution gear, differential and a new transmission and drive shaft. The Italian engineers were so impressed with their 4×4 version of the Porter NP6 with climate-friendly CNG drive that they even put an Italian rally pro behind the wheel to run the initial tests No problem for the small truck: it made its way easily even when carrying a load, also coming to a halt safely on slippery surfaces. The years of experience and the good cooperation between Piaggio and Cucini paid off here.

Not only on asphalt, but also off-road, the Piaggio Porter NP6 with CNG drive now feels at home thanks to its all-wheel drive. Source: Piaggio/Docar

With this 4×4 commercial vehicle, Piaggio is moving into a segment in which there is no comparable vehicle to date: lightweight, 4×4 and CNG-powered, enabling near-carbon-neutral propulsion thanks to biogas in the tank, and with an excellent payload, too: this is the new Piaggio Porter NP6. All this makes the all-wheel drive the ideal partner for SMEs and municipal applications.

It is powered by a new Euro 6d engine that has is able to reduce emissions in inner-city areas in particular. The 1.5-litre bi-fuel engine delivers 106 hp, and the truck features a manual 5-speed transmission. This light commercial vehicle is available with two CNG tanks of different sizes as a short-range or long-range variant. The starting price for the all-wheel drive version of the Piaggio Porter NP6 is CHF 39,900 (chassis cabin). The model with the fixed dock costs CHF 41,630 while the three-sided tipper model costs CHF 44,150 – all prices exclusive of VAT. The first 4×4 vehicles will be available for delivery in Switzerland from the end of October. More information about the first all-wheel-drive CNG in this segment is available online or from one of Switzerland’s 42 official sales and service partners. (pd/jas, 01 September 2022)

In Switzerland, the all-wheel-drive Porter is available in a short-range and a long-range version from CHF 39,900 excl. VAT. Source: Piaggio/Docar