The Vento Phantera is one of the vehicles of Vento, a brand named after the Italian word for wind and built by an American company, Vento Motorcycles, Inc. The firm assembled its products in Laredo, Texas, and sold them in Mexico, the United States, Russia and other markets.
Vento Phantera at a glance
| Model | Vento Phantera |
|---|---|
| Brand | Vento |
| Company | Vento Motorcycles, Inc., United States |
| Name meaning | “wind” in Italian |
| Assembly plant | Laredo, Texas, opened in 1998 |
| Corporate office by 2006 | San Diego, California |
| Support centre by 2006 | Melbourne, Florida |
| Product types | motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, off-road vehicles |
| Dealer network | over 175 dealers in over 30 US states |
| Outlets worldwide | over 300 |
| Model page | no dedicated Wikipedia article; facts from the brand page |
based on one source: there is no dedicated Wikipedia page for the Phantera, so the article draws on the Vento manufacturer article.
History of the Vento Phantera
Components in, vehicles out
Vento’s Laredo plant opened in 1998 for assembly and quality control. Components were brought to Texas from outside suppliers, assembled there and checked before the machines were shipped to dealers. The Phantera was one of the models sold through this operation.
An American company with an Italian name
The brand’s history was linked to operations in the United States and Mexico, including motorcycle assembly for export to Mexico. By 2006 Vento Motorcycles U.S.A. had its headquarters in San Diego, California, assembly and quality control in Laredo, and a marketing, product development, dealer and distributor support centre in Melbourne, Florida.
Sales across two continents
Vento served more than 175 dealers in more than 30 American states and more than 300 outlets worldwide. In the 2003 financial year it sold 17,840 units in the United States, and 77,600 Vento motorcycles were sold in Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Russia combined, counting highway motorcycles, scooters, utility vehicles and ATVs. In Mexico, small-displacement two-wheelers from Vento outsold Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki together.
Design and features
- Small-displacement machine: the kind of product Vento sold in the largest numbers.
- Assembled in Texas: built up and quality-checked at Laredo.
- International network: more than 300 outlets worldwide.
- Italian-derived name: vento means wind.
Vento Phantera versions
- Phantera: the model described here.
- Other Vento models: the range is covered in the linked articles.
Related pages: the Vento Reptile and the Vento Colt. The whole brand is in the Vento collection.
Video: Vento Phantera GT5
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Vento (motorcycle manufacturer), English Wikipedia: company, plant, sales
