Autoitalia Philippines launches the Piaggio APÉ 3-wheeler diesel models and the Piaggio Porter 1000.

In the late 1940s, the Italians were reeling from the effects of the Second World War. Knowing that people lacked the ability to acquire and pay for the upkeep of four-wheeled vehicles, aircraft designer Corradino D’Ascanio—the inventor of the Vespa—came up with a solution. He designed a small-scale, three-wheeled commercial vehicle that could help rebuild Italy’s economy from the ground, giving small entrepreneurs a chance at surviving the new financial environment. 
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