COACH OF THE YEAR
Nominees: TATA MAGNA LPO 1822/69 13.5m EICHER INTERCITY 4x2 SLEEPER COACH VOLVO 9400 B8R 4x2 COACH 13.5m VOLVO 9400 B11R 6x2 SLEEPER COACH
The winning product Volvo 9400 B8R 13.5m 4x2 coach with a 7200 mm wheelbase can seat 47 (w/o c/s + D + 1) passengers. Bringing in the European trend of 13.5m coaches prevailing for a few decades now, to Indian roads, Akash Passey, President, Bus Division, VECV, mentioned, “We are setting new standards for the coach segment with the winning product, especially after the integration of Volvo Buses India into VECV. The product is an outcome of a larger strategy at play. To create new offerings on both the Volvo and Eicher bus platforms to make a meaningful difference to the commuters looking to travel safely and with comfort from point A to point B.” “The 13.5m segment was missing in India and a long time in waiting and we are happy to be among the first ones with few buses already running with customers over the past few months. The market in long-haul will shape itself around the 13.5m coach and not the 12m coach like in the past,” Passey concluded.