Small wonder the Starbus Ultra range has been so enthusiastically received in the three years since it was launched. In addition to its body engineering and mass-manufacturing expertise, the strategic value that Marcopolo contributes to the venture is its facility for integrating a wide diversity of chassis modules from various OEMs into its own designs – something that’s born out of decades of experience. In India, for example, Marcopolo provided specific inputs that helped Tata maximise the performance of its Ultra chassis (the Y1 light/intermediate-weight truck platform) in passenger bus missions. Srivastava says, “All projects at TMML are collaborative, involving the engineering departments of both Tata Motors and Marcopolo in the product design.”
TMML prides itself on its independent design, analysis, and test capabilities. Marcopolo, for its part, brings in years of experience in bodyworking chassis’ from Scania, Volvo, and Mercedes in Brazil.ĭevelopment of the double-deck coach for the operating conditions peculiar to India will involve a three-way engineering collaboration between Marcopolo, Tata Motors, and TMML. Tata Motors already possesses the engineering and manufacturing capability to design and build a four-axle coach chassis, Srivastava points out - the company has been producing 8×2 trucks for atleast a decade. Here in India, because of the restrictive axle weight limitations, an 8×2 wheelplan is more feasible, Rohit Srivastava, CEO of Tata Marcopolo Motors Limited (TMML), tells OVERDRIVE. In Brazil, the three-axle Paradiso 1800 DD is offered with up to 60 semi-sleep seats in single-class configuration. Auto Viação 1001, the first operator in Brazil to schedule double-decker buses on regular lines, runs a Double Class service with six anatomically shaped sleeper seats on the lower deck that recline horizontally into bunks, and 40 semi-sleeper seats on the upper deck. Brazilian bus builder, Marcopolo has been Tata Motors’ primary bodywork partner for the Indian market for the last eight years.įour-axle coaches are common in South America for extremely long routes that can sometimes stretch over 4,500km and three days on the road. Having recognised the growing popularity of such long routes, Tata Motors is examining the feasibility of introducing a double-decker touring coach, based on the latest Generation 7 of Marcopolo’s Paradiso 1800 DD model. This is why comfort and safety needs are leading to the adoption of European levels of vehicle specification, as seen in Volvo’s 9400 PX and Scania’s Metrolink HD. Now, there are long distance scheduled service coach routes pushing 2,000km and journey times stretching to 36 hours (case in point, VRL’s Bangalore–Jodhpur Volvo service).
The way we travel by buses has changed over the years.
0 kommentar(er)
