New Model
FINE CHIINA Scania has unveiled a fully built up Touring coach that fits Australia’s recently revised 18 tonne two axle GVM limit for coaches, a first for Swedish maker because this particular coach arrives virtually ready to work having been built in, wait for it ...China. Editor Peter Barnwell flew to Port Douglas to get the low down on this Fine China from Scania.
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cania Australia boss, Mikael Jansson is upbeat about sourcing the company’s new ready-built Touring bus from China. Scania unveiled the new fully imported CBU – built in China, Touring Coach at a special function during the BIC conference in Port Douglas in early October. The Scania Touring Coach which is being imported ready to go from a cooperative agreement coach body factory in China meets the recently changed coach GVM rules as a two axle 18-tonne GVM 57-seater and fits the width and height rules at 2.5m wide and 3.8 metres high. Scania says the Touring uses a Scania designed body, which is built and fitted by Higer in China where Scania has been involved in a cooperative agreement for many years. The Touring Coach uses a Scania two axle chassis and comes with a smorgasbord of power options with the choice of a five-cylinder 9-litre 360 hp, Euro 6 engine with a ZF six-speed automatic, or eightspeed Opticruise automated gearbox, a Euro V compliant 360hp 9-litre six-cylinder engine fitted with the eight-speed Scania
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Opticruise or the top power 410hp/2150Nm 13-litre six-cylinder Euro 6 again using the eight-speed Scania Opticruise. While the Scania is built in China it bristles with all of Scania’s latest technology and safety systems and comes with a 57 seat capacity 9 cubic metres of luggage space. “It’s a Scania from bumper to bumper,’’ said Scania Australia CEO Mikael Jansson of the new 12.3 metre, two axle bus that can be used for multiple purposes spanning everything from school transport through to charter work. “We offer Touring with a single point of contact for all aspects of servicing and maintenance over the full life cycle,’’ he added. “The Touring is a very safe bus and exceeds all the requirements of the European rollover test,’’ Jansson said. Touring comes equipped with ABS, EBS and electronic stability control. Optional safety features include the latest active safety systems such as advanced emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. Adaptive cruise control is not available on
vehicles with a ZF full auto transmission. Jansson says the Touring is engineered for Australian conditions and comes out of the new dedicated Scania factory at Suzhuo outside Shanghai that is run in partnership with China manufacturer Higer.
The two share a history going back to 2004. The new plant, adjacent to Higer’s facility, is capable of producing 1000 Scania buses a year and is currently running at half that rate. Suzhou builds Touring for the global market in various configurations to suit local regulations, which, in the Australian version, meant a narrower 2.5 metre wide body, hiving off 50mm from the standard spec’ width to pass Australia’s archaic heavy vehicle regulations. It has been shown that many heavy trucks actually exceed the 2.5 metre width window with such things as mirrors and even tautliner buckles protruding beyond the 2.5 metre allowance by around 50mm but a bus seems to present unique problems. Benz has a similar problem with Citaro, if it is good enough in Europe then why not here, but don’t get us started!
