Bus Fanning India

Volvo launches new range of multi axle buses

By Sujith Bhakthan

December 31, 2011

Taking public mobility a step further, Volvo Buses Pvt. Ltd. launched its new range of multi – axle vehicles for tier I and tier II cities and luxury coaches, taking the company’s line-up to 10 buses in the country.

With the biggest ever launch of heavy buses in India, including global introductions, Volvo more than doubles its range

Volvo today launched a new range of buses, 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.

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.

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.

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.