IN 2010 Autocar Expo was held in Nice, however for the third edition organisers

and top 10 manufacturers of buses and coaches in the French market decided to move the event to Bordeaux, a region known for its vineyards and wine. Although it’s a very touristy destina-tion, Nice was no longer deemed suitable by organisers for hosting Autocar Expo, mainly be-cause Nice did everything to get rid of tourist buses and the exhibition centre was too small. Instead the exhibition centre of Bordeaux of-fered plenty of space and this fact was the first thing noticed by visitors. This year’s problem however was that a major tourism show was held in Paris during the same week as Autocar Expo. Thus Long King, BMC, Integralia and Sunsundegui decided to attend that event inste-ad and to skip the one in Bordeaux. Obviously visitors could not participate to both events and this was evident in terms of attendance figures. Nevertheless the Autocar Expo in Bordeaux proved to be a respectable bus exhibit, inclusi-ve of sector premieres. Indcar-VehiXel - The first big novelty that vi-sitors had been waiting for was the announce-ment of a collaborative alliance - technical and industrial - between Spanish company Indcar and French company VehiXel. Indcar commer-cialises city minibuses in Spain, while VehiXel started selling Wing and Wizard minibuses in France. But that’s not all: in fact at the event in Bordeaux they presented their future school minibus called Mobi. It has a 34 seats capacity, measures 8.44 metres in length (4.75 metres wheelbase) and is manufactured on an Iveco Daily chassis. It is due in 2013 and it will come in three versions: the school bus, the line bus

Autocar Expo 2012

Bordeaux is also GT

From October 17 to 20, the “Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux” hosted more than 80 exhibitors, including ten

coach and bus manufacturersand the mixed service bus (as well as the Low Entry and electric versions). Kapena - If we talked about the Indcar-Vehi-Xel alliance first it is because Indcar’s Wing and Wizard buses have so far been imported by Ouest Industrie Autocars, a subsidiary of Hervouet Group, which is also the importer of King Long from China. Henceforth Hervouet will commercialise two models on Iveco Daily chassis: the Thesi, one for mixed services and the other for the transport of students. Their bodywork will be done by Kapena, which is also the distributor of Irisbus Iveco in Poland. The Thesi in the school bus version is available

with 33 seats, while the mixed services version comes with 28 seats.Scania & Irizar - In France Scania has been collaborating with Spanish manufacturer Irizar for years and has been commercialising New Century, PB, i6 and i4 models on Swedish chassis. Since 2010, however, Irizar has also been selling its own self-supporting vehicles. Therefore the Swedish and Spanish companies become competitors. At Autocar Expo however the reconciliation finally took place. And here is the proof: Irizar could be seen all over the Sca-nia stand. Namely a PB for Publitour company (12.2 metres, 51+1+1 seats) and a two-axles i6

on Scania K 400 EB chassis 13 metres long. This 55 or 57 seats coach is equipped with the new Opticruise transmission, two video screens for the rear camera (for the 55 seats version), the rearview camera (for the 57 seats version) and also with a third door with the pre-arranged configuration for a wheelchair lift. All this does not mean that Irizar abandoned its business strategy that in 2011 produced a revenue growth from exports of over € 500 million compared to 2010. An i6 and i4 on self- supporting frames were also exhibited. Their commercialisation and post-sales servi-ce will be the responsibility of a small team of Irizar Autocars in France, based in Tours. Fast Concept Car - In France Fast stands for Starter and Scoler, very popular intercity and school buses. Their exhibit area featured three vehicles: the 12.8 metre Starter LE fitting 55 seats in addition to the driver and another 25 standing passengers, the Scoler re-named Kid sporting a new layout and a 57+1 seats con-figuration and the 13.04 metre Starter S with 63+1 seats. Fast takes the credit also for an original wheel-chairs lift system located near the central door and accessible from the sidewalk. The passen-ger can directly board and exit the vehicle, and no seat is lost in the passenger compartment. In fact, Fast built foldable seats and by using the ‘UFR Lift Entry’ system the platform is no longer needed. The manufacturer from Vendée also imports some Otokar models (Otokar was also present at the Expo). In Bordeaux it featu-red the Navigo and Vectio SH and Vectio Low Entry (with belts) for long distance travels. Dietrich Carebus - Being one of the biggest

FAST - ScolerVEHIXEL / INDCAR - MobiHERVOUET / KAPENA - Thesi

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importers in France it took up one of the largest stands at Autocar Expo. The Dietrich Group Care-bus from Ingwiller (Alsace) im-ports vehicles by Temsa, Yutong and minibuses for city as well as for touring uses manufactured ac-cording to need. The Ingwi 33 on Iveco Daily chas-sis is equipped with a 2.9 litre 4-cylinder engine delivering 170 hp, and fits 31 seats plus guide and driver. Advantages include: driver’s area with large window, luggage compartment of up to 3 m3 and rear emergency door pre-arranged to fit a wheelchairs ramp. Yutong displayed three buses, the mixed 6119 (10.8 m long) and the big novelty 6129 (12 metres). There was also the 12.2 metre inter-city 6121. These vehicles are equipped with: Cummins engine, ZF transmission (the 6121 mounts an Ecolife automatic transmission), Webasto auxiliary heating system and Telma electromagnetic retarder. In terms of innovations of the Temsa range, we’d like to point out the new seat versions for the MD9 (tourism, intercity and Low Entry) and for the Safari (HD, RD and RD DD): cu-stomers can opt between Sporting or Sporting Black, also between Cambridge or Cambridge Brown, as well as three other versions named Classic Black, Urban Grey and Red Bubble as optional choice.Man/Neoplan - MAN Truck & Bus was pre-sent at Expo Autocar with its two brand names Man and Neoplan. Visiting the latter’s exhibit area visitors were able to admire the Jetliner,

available in two measure lengths, 12.29 m (Jetliner PA26 ) and 13.05 m (Jetliner PA27), both measuring a total height of 3.40 metres. A ground clearance measure of 1.07 metres stands at the core of the possibility to use the vehicle in two ways, for line service and for excursions. This Neoplan offers total flexibility in terms of choice for upholstery, in fact it is possible to chose from a wide range of high quality fabrics, including leather. A comprehensive safety sy-stems package is provided as standard. The new Man Lion’s Coach ‘EfficientLine’ of 12 metres was the other main attraction in the stand. This Lion is the first coach by the German manufac-turer to include a platform lift for limited mobi-lity passengers. Not only that, in fact the term ‘Efficient’ also stands for ‘protection of the en-vironment and profitability for customers’. The eco-friendly Man Lion’s Coach EfficientLine claims a fuel consumption reduction of 4 litres per 100 km translating into savings 4000 litres

per year. It mounts a Man TipMatic automatic transmission, low rolling resistance tires and ae-rodynamic equipment. Iveco Irisbus - Irisbus Iveco used its exhibit space to display its entire range, from intercity to long distance, but also the new high level ser-vice coach CHNS (car à haut niveau de service - BRT Bus Rapid Transit). This CHNS will be deployed on the new international routes that have been finally liberalised in France. There are currently three companies competing with Eurolines. The Crossway has been displayed in the Low Entry versions of 10.80 and 12 metres in length but also in the ‘High value’ raised floor version of 12.80 metres with air conditioning, convectors heating and wheelchair platform. This equipment configuration is now available to everyone and therefore it has been included in the catalogue. Magelys Pro continues to be the flagship vehicle of Iveco Irisbus. It is availa-ble in sizes of 12.20 and 12.80 metres, and, due

to its transition to the Euro VI, it may serve as the basis for a new future range, as happened already in the past with the famous Iliade (formerly FR1).Autocar Expo provided the oc-casion to present the Magelys Pro ‘luxury’ edition with 44 se-ats with two play tables, 220 V outlets, Wifi. The Magelys Pro CHNS for IDBus of SNCF par-ked outdoors was also equipped for international line service, and it came with reclining seats and power outlets for computers and mobile phones.We’d like to give note to the stan-

ce of Iveco Irisbus ‘Bus range’ vice president Pierre Lahutte according to whom it is impor-tant to “design, but also to produce in France.” That’s because it is a matter of fact that Iveco does not want to sit on its hands in front of so many imported brands in France that “do not play with us on equal levels”.Van Hool - By taking a look at the Van Hool TDX21 Altano it was possible to see an exam-ple of how to board and exit a coach without a wheelchair lift. It is a high performance vehi-cle equipped with a small ramp to be placed manually on the double door located in the front. Behind the driver’s seat there are five se-ats, including one for the guide. By simply re-moving one passenger seat (or the guide seat) the wheelchair can easily climb on board. Van Hool’s stand also hosted several models from the new TX range.VDL Bus & Coach - Alongside the Futu-ra Classic, bowing to Euro VI, VDL Bus &

SCANIA / IRIZAR - PB NEOPLAN - Jetliner IRISBUS IVECO

DIETRICH CAREBUS / TEMSA MERCEDES - Sprinter Travel 60

Coach unveiled its ‘New’ Futura FHD2-139 with 50+1+1 seats. Ho-wever, the Futura Classic, accounta-ble for about half of total sales, was presented featuring a platform for limited mobility passengers, and, as they say at VDL, it “still knows how to make people happy.” A 14 metre Synergy double-decker was responsible for attracting visitors to the stand. Fitting nearly 80 seats, this three-axles vehicle offers 7.3 m3 of luggage compartment space and is equipped with a Daf MX 375 U1 engine of 510 hp.Mercedes/Setra - Mercedes had plenty to provide to its visitors. Star-ting with the smallest vehicle, the Mercedes Sprinter was a first timer in France for the Travel 65. Dedicated to VIP transport, the 65 has the distinction of having not only a stunning interior (15+1 seats, side walls lined with fabric, overhead compartments with air vents, reading lights and speakers, air condi-tioning ...), but also a large rear luggage com-partment of 2 m3 volume space that is accessi-ble through a large door, thus providing another advantageous feature. The Intouro, dedicated to long distance and students transport is by far Mercedes’s best seller in France (over 600 units in 2011). It is now available in new mea-sure lengths: 12.64 and 13.32 metres, on top of the 12.14 metres. The 12.64 m version offers 59+1 seats while the 13.32 m offers 63+1. The Optimum version (12.14 metres) provides the possibility of mounting four folding seats in the wheelchair area for a maximum capacity of 51+4+1 seats without wheelchair, thus gaining

two seats. On the Euro 6 front Mercedes had an advantage over its competitors: the presen-tation of the new coach Travego Edition 1 with 49+1+1 seats.The adjacent Setra stand featured the new ComfortClass from the 500 series, as seen at the Fair in Hannover. Otokar Europe - After the European Mobility Exhibition in Paris last June, it was the first time that Otokar Europe participated to a bus fair in France. The ‘star’ of its stand was the intercity bus Territo U. It is available in three arrangements (Confort, Eco and Luxe), it’s 12.08 metres long and fits 63 passengers. “That is what French transport companies are curren-tly looking for in terms of capacity provided by a 12 metres long vehicle and we believe that market response will be excellent”, says Otokar Europe. Equipped with seats covered with red fabric upholstery and that also have

handles on the aisle side, the Territo U makes use of independent front wheel suspensions, large windows and 4.5 m3 of luggage com-partment. It is powered by an in-line 6-cylinder D0836 LOH 64 Man engine delivering 290 hp. Otokar’s catalogue is not limited to this model: from now on Otokar Europe will commercia-lise the Vectio T (10 metres) and the Navigo T (7.72 or 8.39 metres) for tourism, the Centro C (5.89 metres), Vectio C (9.16 metres), Kent C (only 12 metres with the Territo), just as well as the Navigo C (7.72 metres), for a total of four city models.Volvo - Tourist coaches foremost. The 9500 retains all the advantages of the 9000 series, welcomes its passengers with spacious and easy access, with a handrail carefully located to aid passengers to board with minimal ef-fort. The 13 metres 57+1+1 seats vehicle was exposed in the Optimal version (aluminium

wheels, reclining seats and leather headrests, fixed 17 inches screens). It is equipped with the 9.4 litres in-line 6-cylinder D9B engine delivering 380 hp. Regarding the 9700 HD, it is a comfortable bus that can be used on various path drives, because it is ‘strong and tireless’ on all kinds of roads, Volvo claims. It is available in two arrangements and Volvo offers a long list of optional choices. At Au-tocar Expo it was possible to see the 12.30 metres long Superior version with 51+1+1 seats configuration. It is appropriate to say that the legroom is real! It is powered by a 13 litre in-line 6 cylinder D13C engine that delivers 420 hp, combined with a

12-speed I-Shift automated transmission.Isuzu - It is by using the ‘Isuzu Europe’ name that this brand, specialising in less than 10 metres long midibuses, makes its return to the French market after many years of absence. The company will be located in Cantal, the French department in the region of Auvergne. Two vehicles, intended for the French mar-ket, have been put on display in Bordeaux: the Tourquoise, fitting 33 seats and equipped with the 5.2 litre Isuzu delivering 190 hp, with a central door including a Braun lift, and a Novo Ultra with 27 seats. Isuzu Europe is aiming to introduce two city vehicles in the near future: the 9.51 metre Citibus with 28 seats and 39 standing passengers and the 7.50 metre Novo-citi with room for 20-25 maxi seats and 16-30 standing passengers. The 4th edition of Autocar Expo is scheduled for 2014, but it remains to be seen which French city will be hosting it. •

VOLVO - 9500 VDL BUS & COACH VAN HOOL - TDX21 Altano

OTOKAR - Territo U ISUZU - Novo Ultra