Společnost Volvo Buses učinila další krok v globální expanzi díky uvedení autokaru Volvo 9700 do USA a Kanady. Poprvé za více než 20 posledních let jsou prodávány autobusy se značkou Volvo v Severní Americe. Značka Volvo je v Severní Americe známá po mnoho let jako značka osobních automobilů a nákladních vozidel.

Společnost Volvo Bus Corporation působila v tomto teritoriu prostřednictvím kanadských společností Prevost a Nova Bus. Volvo 9700 byl představen v souvislosti s veletrhem UMA v Orlandu na Floridě. Zastřešení provádí společnost Prevost.

Všestranný model autokaru

Odhad trhu v tomto segmentu je od 1500 do 2000 autokarů ročně. Volvo 9700 je jeden z nejvšestranějších modelů - vytvořený v Evropě je schopen být provozován jak jako prvotřídní meziměstský autokar, tak jako luxusní zájezdový autokar. Vozidlo je držitelem evropského titulu “Coach of the Year 2008”. Je to jeho všestrannost, která ho dělá realizovatelným jeko globální produkt adaptabilní na lokální požadavky. Na severoamerickém trhu to znamená mimo jiné, že autokar má tři nápravy, pouze jedny dveře pro nástup a výstup a toaletu - umývárnu v pravém zadním rohu. Čelní sklo je dvoudílné k redukci nákladů na výměnu po rozbití úlomky kamenů. Důležitá je také bezpečnost vozu garantovaná značkou Volvo jako hodnota, která se se značkou pojí od založení v roce 1927. Volvo je prvním v autobusovém světě ve vývoji bezpečnosti při čelním nárazu - Front Impact Protection and Knee Impact Protection, což maximálně chrání řidiče. Volvo je také první se systémem FUPS (Front Underrun Protection System). Tento systém chrání při kolizi osobní atmobily před podjetím pod autobus. Přestože to není v Severní Americe povinné, nabízí Volvo jako standard tříbodové bezpečnostní pásy.

Severoamerické Volvo 9700 se vyrábí v závodě Volvo Buses v Mexiku, kde je tento model leaderem trhu v dálkové dopravě. Motor je kompletován v závodě Volvo v Hagerstownu ve státě Maryland v USA. Vozidlo je vybaveno osvědčenou 12tistupňovou mechanickou převodovkou I-shift s řadicím automatem. Prodej a poprodejní služby pro USA a Kanadu zajišťuje Prevost prostřednictvím sítě servisních center.

TZ Volvo Bus Corporation, January 22, 2009

Volvo buses introduced in the US and Canada

Volvo Buses is now taking a further stride in its global expansion through the launch of the Volvo 9700 in the US and Canada. For the first time in more than 20 years, buses with the Volvo brand are being sold in North America.

The Volvo brand is well-known in North America as a result of Volvo cars and trucks. However, Volvo buses have not been sold in this market for many years.

Volvo Bus Corporation has already substantial operations in North America through its Canadian subsidiaries. Coaches are sold under the Prevost brand and transit buses under the Nova Bus brand. However, it is first now, in conjunction with the large UMA coach trade show in Orlando, Florida, that the company is launching Volvo brand buses in North America.

“Prevost offers the most luxurious coaches available in North America today,” says Tore Bäckström, Senior Vice President responsible for Volvo Buses’ North and South America business area. “By launching the Volvo 9700 in the segment slightly below the Prevost coaches, we foresee good possibilities to further enhance our penetration within tour & charter and line haul traffic.”

Versatile coach model

He estimates that the total market in these segments is about 1,500 to 2,000 coaches annually and that the Volvo 9700 has the possibility of capturing a good share within a few years. “As a result of high gasoline prices combined with the financial crisis and recession we are now suffering, more Americans are leaving the car at home and taking the bus,” he says. “At the same time buses and coaches become more and more comfortable and are also for many types of travel a real substitute for the car.”

The Volvo 9700 is one of company’s most versatile coach models. Created in Europe, the model is available as everything from a simple but first-class intercity bus up to the most luxurious coach conceivable. The Volvo 9700 was named “Coach of the Year 2008” in Europe.

It is the model’s versatility that makes its viable as a global product adaptable to existing local demands. In the North American market, this means, among other features, that the bus has three axles, only one door for boarding and exiting and the lavatory in the far rear right corner. In addition, the windshield is in two parts to reduce replacement costs due, for example, to stone chips and cracks. “With the Volvo 9700, Prevost is able to offer a safe, versatile and reliable vehicle equipped with features ensuring an improved profitability and efficiency for our customers,” says Tore Bäckström. Volvo has invoked safety as one of its core values since the company was founded in 1927. This is also apparent in the Volvo 9700, which features many safety solutions not previously available on coaches in the US and Canada.

Volvo was the first in the bus world to introduce a system that provides increased protection for the driver in a frontal collision – Front Impact Protection and Knee Impact Protection.

Protect occupants in cars

Volvo was also first with FUPS (Front Underrun Protection System). This protects occupants in a passenger car in the event of a frontal collision by preventing the car from being wedged under the bus, among other functions. There is currently no mandatory seatbelt law for buses in North America, but the Volvo 9700 offers three-point belts as standard.

The Volvo 9700 for North America is manufactured in Volvo Buses’ plant in Mexico, where the coach model is the market leader in long-distance traffic. The engine is completely assembled in Volvo’s plant in Hagerstown, Maryland, in the US. The bus is also equipped with the Volvo Group’s renowned I-shift gearbox that contributes to lower fuel consumption.

The Volvo 9700 will be sold through Prevost in the US and Canada. The entire aftermarket will also be handled by Prevost through the company’s extended network of certified service centers and spare parts inventories.

Press Information Volvo Bus Corporation, January 22, 2009