| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorscooter |
| Founded | Chicago, Illinois (2002) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Products | Stella, Buddy |
| Website | http://www.genuinescooters.com |
The Genuine Scooter Company is a Chicago-based producer/distributor of motorscooters, most notably the Stella and Buddy models. It sells scooters and accessories through a network of over 150 dealers in the United States.[1]
The company was founded by Philip McCaleb in 2002 as an outgrowth of his garage-based business where he sold vintage Vespa and Lambretta scooters and operated a mail-order catalog featuring scooter parts and accessories. It is a sister company to Scooterworks USA, which specializes in aftermarket parts and accessories for Genuine, Vespa, and other scooter brands.[1]
Genuine Scooter Company began business in 2003, setting up and providing current dealerships with the Stella, a scooter based on the "classic" mechanical design and styling of mid-20th-century scooters, manufactured by LML in India. Building on the success of this model, in 2006 the company began a relationship with PGO Scooters, a Taiwan manufacturer which produced the Buddy, a scooter with CVT and other modern styling and design features. The Buddy has become Genuine's best selling model, with several engine sizes and versions featuring various styling and accessories. Later introductions were the Rattler (since discontinued) and Roughhouse, designed for more off-road and recreational use, and the Blur, a scooter with a higher-powered engine capable of maintaining expressway speeds.[1][2] In 2011, Genuine introduced a version of the Stella with a redesigned four-stroke engine compliant with California emissions standards, and a 170cc version of the Buddy with fuel injection instead of a carburetor. Following these introductions, it received additional capitalization from Livingstone Partners.[3]
Genuine Scooter Company features the following scooters in its product line as of April 2011: