Volvo Buses Explained

Volvo Bussar AB
Type:	Subsidiary of the Volvo Group
Foundation:	1968
Location:	Gothenburg, Sweden
Areas Served:	Worldwide
Industry:	Bus manufacturing
Revenue:	(2016)^[1]
Operating Income:	(2016)
Num Employees:	7,353 (2016)
Parent:	Volvo

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

Chassis

Codes in parentheses are VIN codes for the chassis models.

Historical

• 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

• 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)
  • 2009–: B13R – 12.8-litre engine
  • 2011–: B11R – 10.8-litre engine, known as B340R/B380R/B420R/B450R in Brazil
• 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

• 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

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)
  • Carrus Oy Delta, Lieto, known as Volvo Bus Finland Oy Turku Factory from 2004, became independent in 2008 and renamed Carrus Delta Oy
  • Carrus Oy Ajokki, Tampere, known as Volvo Bus Finland Oy Tampere Factory from 2004, plant closed in 2008
  • Carrus Oy Wiima, Vantaa, plant closed in 2001
• 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

• Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada
• Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada
• Borås, Sweden
• Hoskote, Bangalore, India
• Curitiba, Brazil
  • Wroclaw, Poland Tultitlán, Mexico

External links

• Volvo Buses official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Annual and Sustainability Report 2016 . 81, 95 . Volvo . 12 July 2017 . 2 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170702031810/http://www.volvogroup.com/content/dam/volvo/volvo-group/markets/global/en-en/investors/reports-and-presentations/annual-reports/annual-and-sustainability-report-2016.pdf . dead .
2. Web site: 1 July 2021 . The World's 10 Largest Coach Bus Manufacturers . 17 April 2022 . Carlogos.org . en-US . 31 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220131024527/https://www.carlogos.org/reviews/largest-coach-bus-manufacturers.html . live .
3. Web site: Orla . 2024-03-29 . Volvo Bus launch the BZR Electric Chassis for the World . 2024-04-01 . Fleet Transport . en-US.
4. Web site: Volvo Buses India launches 9600 platform . 2024-03-08 . Autocar Professional . en.
5. https://web.archive.org/web/19970128054401/http://www.bus.volvo.se/corpinfo/history.html Brief History Overview
6. Web site: AB Volvo – press release. https://archive.today/20120724164623/http://www.cisionwire.com/volvo/increased-deliveries-of-volvo-buses-to-israel. dead. 24 July 2012. Cision Wire. 22 September 1999. 16 September 2019.
7. https://web.archive.org/web/20000302203153/http://www.carrus.fi/carrus.html Carrus
8. Web site: Volvo Buses de Mexico (previously MASA). 9 November 2005. Jane's Urban Transport Systems, Jane's Information Group. https://web.archive.org/web/20110815050446/http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Urban-Transport-Systems/Volvo-Buses-de-Mexico--previously-MASA-Mexico.html. 15 August 2011. 17 September 2015.
9. News: 10 November 2023 . Truckmaker Volvo to buy Proterra's battery business for $210 mln . en . Reuters . 11 November 2023.