(VERN FISHER/The Herald
Scott Kelley, of Monterey Peninsula Sports Center, moves some of the inventory around at the company’s Seaside showroom.)
By MARIE VASARI
Herald Staff Writer
There isn’t a lot of good to say about the high gas prices these days.
Unless you’re a scooter salesman.
Sales of the ultra-efficient two-wheelers are stronger than they’ve ever been at Monterey Peninsula Sports Center.
“Last year,” said owner Joe Rossi, “I think we sold maybe 50 or 60 scooters in the entire year of 2005.”
He met that number in the first four months of 2006 alone.
“Sales” said Rossi, “have been tremendous.”
Scooters are only a small part of his Seaside dealership’s sales volume, which does the bulk of its business in motorcycles. And while motorcycle sales are strong these days, increased demand for scooters, coupled with smaller inventories could create a pinch in that market. If his current rate of scooter sales continues, Rossi expects to run out of stock long before his ’07s arrive in December.
“Scooters are not flying out of here 10 a day, but they’re certainly selling at a rapid rate,” he said. “We’re scrambling. And if we’re not out by July, then by August, we’ll be out of all the scooters we’ll be able to put our hands on.”
If that happens, customers will just have to wait, since dealerships calculate their orders to manufacturers a year ahead of time.
Mon, May 1, 2006
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