Volvo Buses

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Volvo Goes Up the Value Chain with New Class of City Bus & Coaches in India

With the biggest ever launch of heavy buses in India, including global introductions, Volvo more than doubles its range.
On December 29th Volvo launched a new range of buses in India, comprising city bus and coaches. The new products will not only raise the standards in the segment where Volvo Buses has a presence, but is now all ready to bring in a new coach aimed at the second tier of routes & cities in India. Present at the launch were Hakan Karlsson, President, Volvo Bus Corporation and Akash Passey, Managing Director & CEO, Volvo Buses in South Asia.

The expanded range of Volvo Buses in India now includes three new models that are the first-of- its kind in the country and takes the company’s bus range to 10 different products. All of these actions take place just three months after Volvo Buses announced its ambition to be a USD 1 billion company in the coming years.

Volvo has also taken unilateral step of raising safety standards by introducing enhanced Front Under-run Protection (FUP) & Frontal Impact Protection (FIP) systems across all its coaches.

Hakan Karlsson, President, Volvo Bus Corporation, said, “About three months ago we promised that we will play a bigger role in the progress of the Indian bus industry and announced an investment of INR 400 crore. Today, we stand here with a product range that will take us there. Most importantly, our focus remains to drive quality of life and with our current range we will be spreading the Volvo experience to a larger market in the country. We have defined a clear role for India in the future – as one of the largest markets in the group, a global hub for selected models, local product development and that utilises the synergies we hold as a group in India. Today, we can proudly say we have set our foundation.”

Akash Passey, Managing Director & CEO, Volvo Buses in South Asia, said, “Today, in one single step we are bringing in products equal to that what we did in the last decade. We now have the local competence & experience to raise the momentum of change manifold. This is just as we expand our market access and raise standards & expectations. We are on our way to reaching our vision of a 1 billion dollar company with 5,000 buses produced each year.  Importantly, with every new product we are touching areas of national and human value – improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, attractive public transport, safer & comfortable travel. We are ensuring that, with Volvo, our customers are No.1 in their own business, while more & more passengers in the country experience bus travel – the way the world moves.”

India’s First Multi-axle coach at 14.5m and with steered axle
Luxury Coaches have a new Standard with the Volvo 9400PX

Just when one would wonder what more can be achieved in luxury, travel comfort, safety & transport economy in coaches, here is the answer – the Volvo 9400PX. It is longer, more spacious, more high-performing and comes with a host of new features to make travel even more comfortable. At 14.5m the Volvo 9400PX is the longest intercity coach yet in India. Step inside the coach and discover the finest of interiors with the most luxurious environment.

The Volvo 9400PX is built on the new light-weight Volvo PX platform, which provides even better grade ability and acceleration as well as enhanced stability & larger luggage space. The new coach also packs a performance like never before with the new Volvo 11-litre engine with 370hp. A key feature is the steerable tag-axle for better road handling and manoeuvrability.

Another key feature of the Volvo 9400PX is the Volvo I-Shift gearbox. This automatic gear changing system provides high drive & ride comfort, better fuel economy and offers high braking power of 400 to 600 kW.

The Volvo 9400PX spacious interiors offer a range of opportunities for customers to incorporate a range of passenger conveniences from pantry, toilets, VOD and a range of other features – for smooth long-distance travel.

The bus offer an all-new dimension of comfort in road travel from the most well-built bus as you glide on for miles. It is a coach in its own class and an inspiration to travel, like never before.

Volvo 9400PX has the unique distinction of being a global introduction, starting from India. The first product of its type in the Volvo Product range too.

India’s First Multi-axle City bus, with steered axle
How to offer 55% more occupancy and reduce emissions, fuel and space up to 30%?

Volvo 7400XL is India’s first multi-axle bus with a steered axle. At 14.5m, it is India’s first city bus ready to support efficient mass bus-based transport systems to move more people, with fewer buses, quicker & with less resource utilisation. Volvo 7400XL will take the Volvo City Bus Concept to a new level.

If the Volvo 7400 helped move people away from their personal vehicles and save fuel, emissions, road space – the Volvo 7400XL will do this with even greater intensity. The reason is straightforward; the Volvo 7400XL can carry almost 55% more people and as a result improve upon fuel, emissions and road space consumption by as much as 30%. Imagine what this can do for growing cities, high occupancy routes and for de-congestion? The savings are profound.

Most importantly, this new City Bus from Volvo comes after 10-years of deep understanding of high-performing bus applications in India. Manoeuvrability in the city is gracefully tackled by the steered tag-axle allowing the bus to take on tight roads and turns of a city.

A Global Product. Built for Asia. From Asia.
Volvo enters the second tier of routes in India with the Volvo 9100 Coach

The Volvo 9100 coach is a Global introduction for Asia, from Asia. This new coach is an integral part of Volvo Buses’ ambition to drive quality of transport across the country to more & more cities and routes. The Volvo 9100 embodies the Volvo values for safety, quality and care for environment.

The engine is optimized for a range of driving conditions and is backed by Volvo’s rich experience of 10 years in high performing bus applications on Indian roads. The new Volvo coach is designed to meet medium haulage applications and has been designed to take the Volvo experience to millions of new passengers.

For the bus operators the Volvo 9100 presents an unbeatable business proposition in transport economy – offering excellent value in fuel efficiency, maintainability and overall operating costs. The Volvo 9100 highlights the organization’s local product development competencies.

The Volvo 9100 is a global introduction, developed in Asia, starting from India. It takes Volvo buses into new market segments in the country, thereby expanding the market potential significantly.

The world’s first commercially viable hybrid – Volvo 7700 Hybrid. On display at the Auto Expo 2012

The Volvo 7700 Hybrid is a commercially-produced hybrid bus model. It has been on the market for some years already and both fuel savings and reliability have been proven in commercial operation. The Volvo hybrid technology is probably the most versatile driveline solution there is when it comes to combining environmental improvement with performance, economy and uptime.

• Proven in widespread commercial operation
• New lighter body design
• Increased passenger capacity
• Up to 37% fuel savings
• 40-50% lower exhaust emissions
• Quiet and emission-free at bus stops
• Optimised for both inner city and suburban traffic conditions
• Backed by a comprehensive business solutions package

Now...India’s widest range of High-Performing Buses.

Customers now have the Power of Choice in high-performing buses like never before. The Volvo bus range in India now will include:

1. Volvo 9400PX Multi-axle at 14.5m,  PX platform & 11-litre engine
2. Volvo 9400XL Multi-axle at 13.7m with 9 litre engine
3. Volvo 9400 with 9-litre configuration
4. Volvo 9400 with 7 litre configuration
5. Volvo 9100 
6. Volvo 7400XL City Bus
7. Volvo 7400 City Bus
8. Volvo 7400CNG City Bus
9. Volvo 7400Semi-Low Floor  City Bus
10. Volvo 8400 Commuter City Bus

Added to these are of course variants of these products.

Enhanced Front Under-run Protection & Frontal Impact protection across all coaches

Volvo Buses has led the way by introducing the first-of-its-kind safety features by any bus manufacturer. As part of its stated value of safety, Volvo has introduced the Front Impact Protection (FIP) and Front Under-run Protection (FUP) systems. Set to exceed global standards and tested by ARAI in India, even as the country regulations have not set any demands on this front.

The FIP is a frontal collision protection system, which effectively spreads the force of an impact into the frontal structure. Full-scale tests show that FIP considerably cuts the risk of serious personal injury.

The FUP system significantly minimises the risk of injury in the event of a frontal collisions between buses and cars. It consists of a steel structure behind the bumper that prevents the oncoming passenger car from becoming wedged under the bus while at the same time offering excellent protection for those components that are fitted at the lower front part of the coach.

Both, these enhancements apply to every Volvo Coach in India.

29th December, 2011

For further information, please contact

Satyanarayan Doraiswami, +91 99016 53252, satyanarayan.doraiswami@volvo.com

Nilanjana Nangia / Shankhadipa Talukdar, +91 99 8607 4334, +91 99 9995 6546 nilanjana.nangia@bm.com; shankhadipa.talukdar@bm.com

Volvo Buses India Private Limited
Volvo Buses has been in India for 10 years and has the richest experience when it comes to high-performing bus applications. This, coupled with its state-of-the-art factory and overall profile of being a complete transport solutions provider, gives it a unique ability to be in the best position to understand the needs of the Indian market and configure products accordingly. Volvo Buses today operates across 12 cities in India, besides Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is the second largest European brand with a strong presence in key markets in Asia. At present, there are about 5,000 Volvo buses operating in the SAARC region, both in the city and inter-city segments.