Volvo Buses
Australia
Volvo’s new platform for tourist and line-haul operations, introduced earlier this year, is now being unveiled for the first time to the wider public at IAA, the leading transport and mobility trade show.
The range encompasses two models: the luxurious Volvo 9900 and the versatile Volvo 9700. Both feature a dynamically designed exterior with crisp lines, smooth sides and rounded corners to give low air resistance. The new “Z-shaped” side window line combined with the sloping theatre floor of the Volvo 9900 marks a totally new design language for coaches.
“I’m immensely proud to present our new premium-class coach platform at IAA. It marks our biggest investment in this segment in more than 20 years, and our customers have given the new platform a particularly enthusiastic welcome,” says Håkan Agnevall, President Volvo Buses. “With our all-new, modern coaches and flexible service packages, we have a highly competitive holistic offer to the market. Put simply, we make it easier for our customers to offer first-class service and to make money.”
The new Volvo 9900 offers an extra-high floor level and large glass panels to provide exceptionally good views both to the front and sides. The interior roof is eight centimetres higher than before, and a straighter transition between walls and roof creates an airy feeling with a far greater sense of space. The versatile Volvo 9700 is available with a wide variety of equipment alternatives for medium range line-haul or premium tour and charter operations.
Inside the vehicles the design team concentrated on both visual and tactile quality. Passengers encounter a harmonic, well-balanced colour palette, and tasteful combinations of cloth and leather with details accented in metal.
To give passengers a high-quality travel experience Volvo Buses has also invested heavily in comfort-enhancing solutions such as ergonomically designed passenger seats
and a well-insulated interior with a low noise level. The climate system has undergone significant development to ensure a uniform and pleasant temperature throughout the bus irrespective of outside conditions.
The integrated driver’s environment, featuring a new steering wheel and instrumentation, gives the driver the right preconditions for working efficiently and without disruption. Driving is made easier thanks to the vehicle’s lower centre of gravity, which ensures excellent stability and manoeuvrability – properties that are improved still further with Volvo Dynamic Steering.
The new 9000 range stays true to its Volvo heritage, with technology that makes it one of the safest coach ranges on the market. Both the Volvo 9700 and the Volvo 9900 feature a comprehensive suite of solutions for active and passive safety. Among the new features are more robust front impact protection (FIP) and a Driver Alert system that monitors the vehicle’s movements and issues alerts if the driver is tired or not concentrating on the road.
The buses’ low air resistance and lighter weight make it possible to cut fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to four per cent. And with the optional Dynamic Chassis Lowering and Volvo I-See* the potential savings are even greater.
Volvo Buses’ electromobility solution is represented at IAA by the Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid (plug-in hybrid) and an OppCharge station for quick-charging of the vehicle’s battery pack. The Volvo Buses range of electrified models also includes all-electric propulsion – the Volvo 7900 Electric – and hybrid buses. All told, Volvo Buses has served as a pioneer in electromobility and has to date sold more than 4000 electrified buses globally.
At IAA Volvo Buses is also introducing Volvo Bus Care, a comprehensive solution encompassing vehicles, services and financing, designed to make things easier for the customer’s operations.
Visitors wanting to custom-build a bus, check out how Volvo Buses’ safety solutions work, or experience first-hand what Volvo Dynamic Steering feels like, can do so in the various simulators at the Volvo Buses stand. And if you want to find out what is of greatest importance to passengers and drivers in the public-transport sphere, you can read a fresh report based on a comprehensive survey in which both groups offer their views on buses and bus travel.
Facts, new Volvo 9900 and 9700
Volvo 9900. Height 3.85 m. Length 12/13/14 m. Axles 4x2/6x2. Sloping theatre floor.
Volvo 9700. Height, 3.65 m. Length 12/13/14 m. Axles 4x2/6x2.
Both models can be customised by selecting from a wide range of package solutions and options.
Driveline: Volvo D11 Euro 6 with 430/460 hp, I-Shift (*I-See optimises gearchanges to suit the topography.).
Body: Newly developed corrosion-preventive structure. Sandwich construction roof gives the bus low weight and a low centre of gravity.
