18 | COACH BIZ
Great season entry for VanHool in Ireland
“S
ince the beginning of the year we have shipped twenty-two new VanHool coaches to Irish customers including eight new EX 16H coaches,” said Dirk Snauwaert, Public Relations Manager at VanHool.
Dermot Cronin Motors
“Seven of these PACCAR DAF powered 53 seater coaches (with toilet) were purchased by Cronin Coaches Cork, via Dermot Cronin Motors with the other, a 59 seater, sold to Extreme Ireland, with its Irish Day Tours branding.” The new EX 16H luxury touring coaches are built at the Belgian company’s Skopje Macdonia factory.
Irish Day Tours
In addition, VanHool sold seven new TX15 Alicrons with Scania chassis and drivetrain to Westward Scania. Dermot Cronin Motors also took delivery of seven new TX15 Alicron coaches. Four of these have gone into the Cronin Coaches fleet, bringing the number of new coaches registered this year to eleven. An impressive manner to mark the Cork company’s 60th anniversary. Another three TX15 units were sold to Collins Coaches (Monaghan), Piltown Coaches (Kilkenny) and Slevins Coaches (Mullingar). “These TX15 coaches feature 51 seats plus toilet, except for the coach delivered to Collins Coaches, which has 57 seats without the toilet. They are all powered by the PACCAR DAF MX-11 Euro 6 engine with ZF EcoLife 6-speed automated transmission,” explained Niall Cronin, Dermot Cronin Motors.
Callinan Coaches
“The interior includes VanHool Grande Luxe seating, with USB connections to all seats, Sutrak Air-conditioning, double monitors, fridge etc. And all TX coaches are on Durabright Alloy wheels with 315/80/22.5 tyres,” he added. There are also four new TX16 Alicron coaches on order for Callinan Coaches in Galway plus a new TDX21 Altano, which
should be delivered this month, while Cronins has a further two coaches on order for July, one a TX15 and the other a TX11 41 seater with toilet.
Upwards & Onwards for Harris Group on PSV front
W
ith the imminent arrival of the all-new Higer Super 9 midi-coach and mini-bus versions of the LDV V80 to follow in due course followed by electric variants of both models to come, the remainder of 2016 will be very busy for the PSV division at the Harris Group. In conversation with Chris Haughton, Group Marketing Manager, at the extended LDV range UK launch at the CV Show 2016 in Birmingham, the first of the rear-engined, 9.33m Higer midi-coaches will have 37 seats plus crew and is wider and longer than the example premiered at the CTTC Coach & Bus Show at the RDS in 2014. FLEETBUS&COACH | Summer 2016
previously. We have also moved the rear door to behind the axle, giving over double the under-floor luggage space at more than 6m3. The Super 9 comes with independent front suspension with air suspension on front and rear axles.” Powering the new model is a 300hp Cummins ISB6.7 Euro 6 engine coupled to the latest Allison automatic gearbox.
Named the Super 9, it will best suit multiday touring, according to Chris, “It is a new take on this segment of the market, and is a very high-specification coach (with USB charging ports at every seat and 240v points at alternate rows) and with a lot of advances over the one we exhibited
Relating to LDV, like Higer, the other Chinese brand that Harris imports and markets, passenger versions through crew cab conversions have been completed with fully seated and wheelchair accessible mini-buses coming on stream later this year. Text: Rob Van Dieten - rob@fleet.ie