After 76 years, the Ape Piaggio, a motorvan that was derived from the first Vespa models and marketed in various versions in over 6 million units worldwide, is now closing its Italian history. This vehicle was one of the symbols of the Italian post-war economic boom. Production was shifted from Piaggio's ancient industrial core in Pontedera, near Pisa, to the Indian plant. An unavoidable decision, made reluctantly by the group led by Matteo and Michele Colaninno for purely economic reasons: it was too expensive to adapt the vehicle to the EU standards, given the volume of parts produced; thus, the decision to convert the Tuscan plant's production lines to create other models in higher demand on the market, such as the Porter van. According to Brussels’ standards, expanding the range would have resulted in a price increase from the present 6 thousand euros to at least 10 thousand euros, which is considered exorbitant. The APE will now have a future in India, both for the domestic market and for the African market, where emissions regulations are less strict.