Editing Auto rickshaw (section)

==== Italy ====
[[File:Piaggio Ape C.jpg|thumb|An Ape C (1956–1967)]]

Auto rickshaws have been commonly used in Italy since the late 1940s, providing a low-cost means of transportation in the post–World War II years when the country was short of economic resources. The [[Piaggio Ape]] (Tukxi), designed by [[Vespa]] creator [[Corradino D'Ascanio]] and first manufactured in 1948 by the Italian company [[Piaggio]], though primarily designed for carrying freight has also been widely used as an auto rickshaw. It is still extremely popular throughout the country, being particularly useful in the narrow streets found in the center of many little towns in central and southern Italy. Though it no longer has a key role in transportation, Piaggio Ape is still used as a minitaxi in some areas such as the islands of [[Ischia]] and [[Stromboli]] (on Stromboli no cars are allowed). It has recently been re-launched as a trendy-ecological means of transportation, or, relying on the role the Ape played in the history of Italian design, as a promotional tool.