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Company type | Subsidiary of the Volvo Group |
Industry | Bus manufacturing |
Founded | 1968 |
Headquarters | Gothenburg, Sweden |
Areas served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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Brands | |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Number of employees | 7,353 (2016)[1] |
Parent | Volvo |
Website | www |
Volvo Buses (Volvo Bus Corporation; formal name: Volvo Bussar AB), stylized as VOLVO, is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Gothenburg.
It is one of the world's largest bus manufacturers, 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.[2]
The bus operation has a global presence, with production in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. In India it set up its production facility in Bangalore. A former production facility was located in Irvine, Scotland (closed in 2000).
Products
[edit]Chassis
[edit]Codes in parentheses are VIN codes for the chassis models.
Historical
[edit]- 1930s/40s: B10, B12
- 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
- 1966–1971: B54
- 1970–1980: B59
- 1973–1985: Ailsa B55
- 1978–2001: B10M/B10MA/B10MD (1M) – the double deck city bus version B10MD, built from 1982 to 1993, was also known as Citybus
- 1983–1996? B9M (9M) – low-budget version of the B10M
- 1988–1991 B10C (1C) – special Australian coach version of the B10M
- 1978–1991: B10R (1R)
- 1978–1987?: B6F/B6FA (6A)
- 198?–198?: B6M (6M) – for Asia Pacific
- 1990–2002: B10B (R1)
- 1991–2011: B12 (R2) – known as B12R, later B380R/B420R in Brazil
- 1991–1998: B6/B6LE (R3)
- 1992–2000: Olympian (YN) – modified from Leyland Olympian
- 1992–2004: B10BLE (R4)
- 1993-2000s: B10L/B10LA (R5)
- 1997–2006?: B7L/B7LA (R7)
- 1998–2002: B6BLE (R3)
- 1997–2011: B12B (R8)
- 2001–2011: B12BLE/B12BLEA (R8) – articulated version was introduced in 2005
- 1998–2004: Super Olympian (S1) – also known as B10TL
- 1999–2006: B7TL (S2)
- 2000–2003: B10R (S3) – for Brazil
- 2002–2018: B9TL (S4) – low-floor double-decker, once known as Olympian in Volvo official website
- 2010?–2013: B9RLE (S5)
- 2012–2021: B5TL (T9) – low-floor double-decker
Current
[edit]- 1997–: B7R (R6) – known as B290R in Brazil since 2011
- 2001–: B7RLE (R6) – low-entry version of the B7R
- 1999–: B12M/B12MA (R9) – known as B340M in Brazil since 2011 (bi-articulated version was introduced in 2002)
- 2003–: B9R (S5) – known as B340R/B380R in Brazil 2011–2012
- 2002–: B9S (S6) – bi-articulated version was introduced in 2006, known as B360S in Brazil since 2011
- 2005–: B9L/B9LA (S7) – low-floor
- 2008–: B5LH (T1) – low-floor hybrid-electric bus
- 2009–: BXXR (T2)
- 2011–: B270F (T5) – front-engined
- 2012–: B5RH/B5RLEH (T8) – step-entrance/low-entry hybrid-electric bus, known as B215RH/B215LH in Brazil
- 2013–: B8R (T7)
- 2013–: B8RLE/B8RLEA (T7) – low-entry version of the B8R
- 2015–: BE (U1)
- 2016–: B8L (U2) – low-floor double-decker
- 2021–: BZL – low-floor single/double-decker
- 2024–: BZR – flexible electric chassis[3]
Complete buses
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Praha%2C_Hole%C5%A1ovice%2C_V%C3%BDstavi%C5%A1t%C4%9B%2C_Czech_Bus%2C_hybridn%C3%AD_autobus_Volvo.jpg/220px-Praha%2C_Hole%C5%A1ovice%2C_V%C3%BDstavi%C5%A1t%C4%9B%2C_Czech_Bus%2C_hybridn%C3%AD_autobus_Volvo.jpg)
- C10M (built in 1980s)
- 5000/7500 low-floor citybus (B10L/B7L/B9S Articulated chassis)
- 7000/7700 low-floor citybus (B10L/B7L/B9L chassis)
- 7250/7350 coach (Volvo/Drögmöller B10-400/B7R chassis) – for Mexico
- 7400 – for India
- 7400XL – for India
- 7450/7550 coach
- 7700A articulated low-floor citybus (B7LA/B9LA chassis)
- 7700 Hybrid low-floor citybus (B5LH chassis)
- 7800 articulated BRT bus (B9S Articulated chassis) – for China
- 7900 low-floor citybus
- 7900 Hybrid low-floor citybus (B5LH chassis)
- 7900A Hybrid articulated low-floor citybus (B5LAH chassis)
- 8300 intercity (B9R chassis) – for Mexico
- 8400 citybus (B7RLE chassis) – for India
- 8500 TX intercity (B7R/B12M chassis)
- 8500A articulated intercity (B12MA chassis)
- 8500LE citybus (B10BLE/B7RLE/B12BLE/B9S Articulated chassis)
- 8600 (B8R chassis) – for Europe, built in India
- 8700 TX intercity (B7R/B12B/B12M chassis)
- 8700LE citybus (B7RLE/B12BLE chassis)
- 8700LEA articulated citybus (B12BLEA chassis)
- 8900 intercity (B7R/B9R/B8R chassis)
- 8900LE citybus (B7RLE/B9RLE/B8RLE chassis)
- 9100 coach – for Asia, built in India
- 9300 coach (B9R chassis) – for Mexico
- 9400 intercity (B7R/B8R/B9R chassis) – for India
- 9400XL(6X2) intercity (B9R chassis) – for India
- 9400PX coach (B11R chassis) – for India
- 9500 coach (B9R/B8R chassis)
- 9600 coach (B9R chassis) – for China
- 9600 coach (B8R chassis) – for India[4]
- 9700 TX intercity/coach (B12B/B12M/B7R/B9R/B13R/B11R/B8R chassis)
- 9800 coach (B12M chassis) – for China
- 9800 coach (B13R chassis) – for Mexico
- 9800 Double Decker coach (B13R chassis) – for Mexico
- 9900 coach (B12B/B13R/B11R chassis)
Acquired companies
[edit]Bus makers owned/acquired by Volvo:
- Säffle Karosseri AB, Säffle, Sweden (1981, known as Volvo Bussar Säffle AB from 2004, plant closed in 2013)
- Leyland Bus, United Kingdom (1988, all Leyland products ceased production by July 1993)
- Steyr Bus GmbH, Steyr, Austria (75% in 1990,[5] plant closed in the 1990s)
- Aabenraa Karrosseri A/S, Aabenraa, Denmark (1994, plant closed in 2004)
- 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
- Merkavim, Israel (1996), jointly owned by Volvo Bus Corporation & Mayer Cars & Trucks Ltd., importer of HONDA cars & bikes in Israel[6]
- Volvo Polska Sp. z o.o., Wrocław, Poland (1996), the largest Volvo Buses factory in Europe
- Carrus Oy, Finland (January 1998,[7] known as Volvo Bus Finland Oy from 2004)
- Nova Bus, St-Eustache, Quebec, Canada (1998)
- Mexicana de Autobuses SA (MASA), Tultitlán, Mexico (1998), renamed Volvo Buses de México[8]
- Alfa Busz Kft, Székesfehérvár, Hungary, (2002)
- EUROBUS, Zagreb, Croatia (1994.-1999.) on chassis B10, B12
- Proterra (2023) [9]
Production sites
[edit]- Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada
- Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada
- Borås, Sweden
- Hoskote, Bangalore, India
- Curitiba, Brazil
- Wroclaw, Poland
- Tultitlán, Mexico
Gallery
[edit]-
Volvo bus used in White Buses action of 1945
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Volvo B12 Bus 1940
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Volvo B10 Bus 1938
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Volvo B512 Bus 1948
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Volvo B513X Bus 1948
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Volvo B617 Bus 1952
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Volvo B655 Bus 1952
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Volvo Bus 1953
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Volvo B638 Bus 1953
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Volvo B727 Bus 1953
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Volvo B70501 Bus 1959
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Volvo B655 Bus 1963
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1967 Volvo B58 bus
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Volvo B58 Bus 1968
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A Van Hool-bodied Volvo B10M single-deck coach
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Volvo B10MA, 1985
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Volvo Olympian 1996
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A 1993 built B10B bus with Alexander Strider bodywork, pictured as a training bus for First Greater Manchester
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Volvo B9TL, 2013
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Volvo B7RLE, 2012
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Volvo B8RLE, 2013
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Volvo B8RLEA, 2015
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Volvo B12BLEA, 2009
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Volvo B11R, 2018
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Volvo B7R, body made by Autodelta Coach Builders Inc., 2017
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Annual and Sustainability Report 2016" (PDF). Volvo. pp. 81, 95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ "The World's 10 Largest Coach Bus Manufacturers". Carlogos.org. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ Orla (29 March 2024). "Volvo Bus launch the BZR Electric Chassis for the World". Fleet Transport. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Volvo Buses India launches 9600 platform". Autocar Professional. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Brief History Overview Volvo Buses (Archived 28 January 1997)
- ^ "AB Volvo – press release". Cision Wire. 22 September 1999. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ Carrus Carrus (Archived 2 March 2000)
- ^ "Volvo Buses de Mexico (previously MASA)". Jane's Urban Transport Systems, Jane's Information Group. 9 November 2005. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ "Truckmaker Volvo to buy Proterra's battery business for $210 mln". Reuters. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.