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Prevost (bus manufacturer)

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Prévost
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryManufacturing
Founded1924
HeadquartersSainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada
ProductsCoach Buses
ParentVolvo
WebsiteOfficial website

Prévost (pronounced pray-voh; the -st is silent) is a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.

The company is a subsidiary of Volvo.[1]

History

Place Eugène Prévost in Sainte-Claire
Prévost H3-45 of Tai Pan Tours

The company was first founded in 1924 by Eugène Prévost (1898–1965), a cabinet maker specializing in church pews and school furniture, who in 1924 was asked to build a custom bus body for a new REO truck chassis. Les Ateliers Prévost, as the company was then called, received several repeat orders. Between 1937 and 1939, Prévost Car's first bus manufacturing plant was built. Initially the vehicles were built around a wooden frame. In 1945 this changed, and bodies were made of metal.

The company was acquired by Paul Normand in 1957. In 1969, two American businessmen formed a partnership with André Normand, then President of Prévost, to become the company’s owners. These three men, in turn, sold Prévost to Volvo Bus Corporation in 1995.[2]

As of February 2007, the firm has 1,337 employees and operates six parts and service centres in North America.

The latest models saw the XLII thoroughly revised, with a longer wheelbase for more storage and a smoother ride. This, and other changes, marked the beginning of the new X3-45.

The flagship H3-45 received some further enhancements in 2006 with GPS and destination sign options. In addition, the new Delta sound system was developed to provide improved sound throughout the cabin.

For the new EPA 2007 Standards, Prévost now offers an innovative installation of the Diesel Particulate Filter and the Rooftop Diffuser for Increased Safety, Performance, Serviceability and Security. The standard Detroit Diesel has been uprated from 12.7 litres to 14 litres for the model year 2007.

For the 2008 model year, Prévost introduced a new Volvo D13 engine from their parent company as a replacement for the then-current Detroit Diesel Series 60 offering. The Volvo I-Shift semiautomatic transmission was introduced as an option to the Allison B500R transmission. A set of new interior colour schemes were developed for the 2008 model year to provide a modern feel. There are three "trim levels" ranging from fabric to leather and wood.

Beginning with 2011, the Prevost X3-45 is available in a transit configuration, with bi-fold doors instead of a sedan-type door. The New York City Transit Authority is the launch customer for this configuration. Previously, 20 transit-style buses in the LeMirage predecessor model had been built for GO Transit in the late 1990s.

Prévost is also the North American builder of the Volvo 9700 motorcoach.

Ground Force One

Main article: Ground Force One

Ground Force One is the nickname given to the modified X3-45 shells used by US President Barack Obama.[3] The interiors were fitted out by Nashville, Tennessee-based Hemphill Brothers Coach Company and it is assumed that other features were added by the US Secret Service.[4] A similar bus with a Prévost shell (when the model was known as the LeMirage XL-II) was used by then-President George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential campaign.[5]

Current products

New York City Transit Prévost X3-45

Passenger coaches:

  • H-Series (H3-41 (41' Feet), H3-45 (45' Feet)) Intercity Coach
  • X-Series (X3-45, X3-45 Commuter Coach)
  • Volvo 9700 Inter-City Coach

Bus shells for conversion to motorhomes or private coaches:

  • H3-45 VIP
  • X3-45 VIP
  • LeMirage XLII Entertainer

Former products

  • H5-60 articulated 79 passenger motorcoach manufactured from 1985 to late 1990s
  • H3-40 passenger coach first manufactured 1989
  • XLII (now known as the X3-45) sightseeing/passenger coach manufactured from 2000 to 2005
  • XL40 Le Mirage XL sightseeing/passenger coach
  • 50-PI-33 passenger coach
  • 19-S transit bus manufactured from 1961 to 1967
  • 33-S 33 to 37 passenger motorcoach manufactured in the 1960s
  • Champion 41 to 50 passenger intercity coach manufactured from 1967 to 1981
  • Marathon 47 to 53 passenger intercity motorcoach
  • Prestige 41 to 50 passenger sightseeing/passenger motor coach manufactured from 1968 to 1981
  • Panoramique 41 to 49 passenger intercity motorcoach manufactured from the 1960s
  • Le Normand intercity passenger coach manufactured from 1957 to 1960
  • Prévocar intercity motorcoach manufactured in 1953
  • Skycruiser motorcoach manufactured from 1948 to 1949
  • V48-S motorcoach first manufactured in 1965
  • Citadin 33 to 37 transit bus manufactured in the 1950s
  • 1924 motorbus
  • 1939 suburban motor coach

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.prevostcar.com/cgi-bin/pages.cgi?page=about
  2. ^ http://www.prevostcar.com/cgi-bin/pages.cgi?page=about_heritage
  3. ^ "Obama's Made in Canada Bus", Huffingtonpost, retrieved online 2011-08-17
  4. ^ New York Post, retrieved online 2011-08-17
  5. ^ "Obama's Made in Canada Bus", Huffingtonpost, retrieved online 2011-08-17
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