Volvo Buses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of Volvo which became an independent division in 1968.

It is the world's second largest bus manufacturer, with a complete range of heavy buses for passenger transportation. The product range includes complete buses and coaches as well as chassis combined with a comprehensive range of services.

The bus operation has a global presence, with production in Europe, North/South America, Asia and Australia. One former production facility was located in Irvine, Scotland (closed in 2000).

[edit] Products

[edit] Chassis

[edit] Historical

1950s: B627
1950s-1960s: B615/B616/B617
1950s-1960s: B635/B638
1950s-1960s: B705
1950s-1960s: B725/B727
1951-1963: B655 (mid-engine)/B656/B657/B658
1960s: B715
1963-1965: B755
1960s-1980s: B57 & BB57
1965-1982: B58
1970-1980: B59
1973-1985: Ailsa B55
1978-2001: B10M/B10MA/B10MD (the double deck city bus version B10MD, built from 1982 to 1993, was also known as Citybus)
1970s-1991: B10R
1990-2002: B10B
1991-1998: B6/B6LE
1992-2000: Olympian (modified from Leyland Olympian)
1992-2004: B10BLE
1993-2000s: B10L/B10LA
1997-2006?: B7L/B7LA
1998-2002: B6BLE
1998-2004: Super Olympian (also known as B10TL)
1999-2006: B7TL

[edit] Current

1991-: B12/B12R
1997-: B7R
1997-: B12B
1999-: B12M/B12MA (bi-articulated version was introduced in 2002)
2000-: B7RLE
2001-: B12BLE/B12BLEA (articulated version was introduced in 2005)
2002-: B9TL (once known as Olympian in Volvo official website)
2002-: B9S Articulated/B9 SALF Articulated (bi-articulated version was introduced in 2006)
2003-: B9R
2005-: B9L/B9LA
2008?-: B5L Hybrid (hybrid electric bus)
2009?-: B13R

[edit] Complete buses

C10M (built in 1980s)
5000/7500 low-floor citybus (B10L/B7L/B9S Articulated chassis)
7000/7700 low-floor citybus (B10L/B7L/B9L/B5L Hybrid chassis)
7250/7350 coach (Volvo/Drögmöller B10-400/B7R chassis) - for Mexico
7450/7550 coach
8300 intercity (B9R chassis) - for Mexico
8400 citybus (B7RLE chassis) - for India
8500 TX intercity (B12M chassis)
8500LE citybus (B10BLE/B12BLE/B9S Articulated chassis)
8700 TX intercity (B7R/B12B/B12M chassis)
8700LE citybus (B7RLE/B12BLE chassis)
9300 coach (B9R chassis) - for Mexico
9400 intercity (B7R chassis) - for India
9400(6X2) intercity (B9R chassis) - for India
9700 TX intercity/coach (B12B/B12M chassis)
9900 coach (Volvo/Drögmöller B12-600 chassis)

[edit] Acquired companies

Bus makers owned/acquired by Volvo:

Säffle Karosseri AB, Säffle, Sweden (1981, now Volvo Bussar Säffle AB)
Leyland Bus, United Kingdom (1988, all Leyland products ceased production by July 1993)
Steyr Bus GmbH, Steyr, Austria (early 1990s)
Aabenraa Karrosseri A/S, Aabenraa, Denmark (1994)
Drögmöller Karosserien GmbH & Co. KG, Heilbronn, Germany (1994, later known as Volvo Busse Industries (Deutschland) GmbH, plant closed in 2005)
Prevost Coaches, Quebec, Canada (1995), now known as Prevost Car
Carrus OY, Finland (1998, later known as Volvo Bus Finland OY)
Nova Bus, St-Eustache, Quebec, Canada (1998)
Mexicana de Autobuses SA (MASA), Tultitlan, Mexico (1998)
Alfa-Busz, Székesfehérvár, Hungary, (2002)

[edit] Electric buses

Volvo Bus launched the B5L Hybrid Double Deck Bus at the Euro Bus Expo 2008 show. The first of a batch of six Volvo Hybrid Double Deckers, takes centre stage. This new Volvo Hybrid will enter series production in the fourth Quarter of 2009. The chassis layout follows the same principles as the Volvo 7700^[1] Hybrid, which was launched at the IAA in Hanover^[2]

[edit] Gallery

Volvo B10 Bus 1938	Volvo B12 Bus 1940	Volvo B512 Bus 1948	Volvo B513X Bus 1948
Volvo B617 Bus 1952	Volvo B655 Bus 1952	Volvo Bus 1953	Volvo B638 Bus 1953
Volvo B727 Bus 1953	Volvo B70501 Bus 1959	Volvo B655 Bus 1963	1967 Volvo bus
Volvo B58 Bus 1968	A Van Hool-bodied Volvo B10M single-deck coach	Volvo 5500 on a B10M chassis, 1985	A modern Volvo bus
Volvo Olympian 1996	A 1993 built B10B bus with Alexander Strider bodywork, pictured as a training bus for First Manchester