Fine China -Scania's new Touring Coac h

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.

Scania 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

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!

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It may have been a cut and shut job for the body but the chassis and powertrain, built and exported from Sweden to the China factory, remain untouched. Jansson said at the early October Touring launch function in Port Douglas that the bus was already operating in European countries, Asia and Africa as well as China. “It complies with the new Australian 18 tonne GVM rule and features a fuel saving “aero’’ body with squared off wheel arches and smooth side panels for optimum efficiency. “Coupled with that is the class leading nine cubic metres of underfloor luggage space behind banks of pantograph side doors that are raised vertically instead of swinging out like hopper doors.’’ “We listened very carefully to market feedback with Touring and the result, we are sure, will please operators as well as passengers and drivers,’’ Jannson said.

The Touring looks good in the metal and seems more compact than a 57 seat (+driver) capacity might suggest. It’s also available in 49 and 53 seat configuration. Critical dimensions of Touring are 12.3m long, 3.8m high and 2.5m wide. Though prices were not available at launch, the number 306 was mentioned in hushed tones – without seats. The bus on display featured locally supplied and fitted leather seating but they can be sourced and fitted ex-China and the bus imported fully built up, ready to go. According to Julian Gurney, Scania Australia’s bus sales director, the advent of Touring out of China, virtually fully built up, cuts delivery time to a fraction of locally built buses which can take up to six months to build. “Six to eight weeks is feasible from order to delivery with these buses from China,’’ he said at the launch function.

The steel, aluminium and fibreglass body is manufactured in China and married up to the imported chassis at the Suzhuo factory under the watchful eyes of Scania quality controllers. The latest manufacturing methods are used in body construction which is fitted by highly experienced workers from Higer, one of China’s biggest bus builders cranking out some 25,000 units a year. Touring’s standard powertrain is Scania’s venerable Euro 6, five cylinder, 9.0-litre engine driving through an eight speed Opticruise automated manual transmission with retarder. An optional ZF six speed fluid auto is also available.

Other engine options for operators who require greater torque are a 13-litre Euro 5, six cylinder engine with 360hp and a 13-litre, six cylinder, Euro 6 six version with 410hp both only with the Opticruise transmission. According to Gurney, the new Touring

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shares many of the advantages of the Scania-Higer A30 sold in Australia over the past decade….. “exceptional build quality, rugged construction capable of taking on Australian conditions and the many advantages of the Scania chassis and powertrain.’’ “However, the Touring is bigger and better,’’ he said. Scania aims to keep stock on hand in Australia to enable a very fast order to delivery time. “On top of holding stock of new buses, a key benefit for operators who choose Touring or any Scania bus is the single point of contact for sales, service and replacement parts, routine maintenance and repairs.’’ “All are available through Scania’s national network of wholly owned branches and 46 independent authorised service dealers,’’ said Julian Gurney.

The Touring is offered with a 5-year structure and paint warranty, 12 months factory warranty on the chassis and a two year factory warranty on the driveline. Every vehicle is also supplied with a Scania driver training session and 4-years of complimentary vehicle monitoring. Julian Gurney said the Touring has been proven in service around the world as a very durable and satisfying product, one which delivers customers bumper-to bumper quality and reliability. “The Touring is highly cost effective to run and supplies will be readily available. It can be optioned with the latest safety features and can be tailored to meet operators’ specific requirements,’’ he said “Driver comfort has been a focus in the development of Touring to the point where a separate factory fitted air conditioner is used for the driving compartment with the saloon part of the bus using its own dedicated aircon.

While the launch of the Scania Touring only happened in early October pre selling has clearly been underway and we are told around a dozen orders have already been taken. Scania hosed down fears that bringing in a CBU coach such as the Touring would severely affect local body builders by explaining that the local industry is running well above capacity. Scania PR man Alexander Corne explained that the company already takes up around 50 per cent of capacity with local body builders and that building slots are pretty much booked out till mid 2020. Corne emphasized that volumes for the Touring will be modest initially and while the local body builders are at capacity the company doesn’t think the Touring will cause issues with the local builders. The first stocks of Scania’s new Touring should be available in November, just in time for Christmas.

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SPEC PANEL

Length 12.30 m

Width 2.50 m

Height 3.80 m

Seating capacity

57 + driver Wheel configuration 4x2” Fuel capacity

465 litres / 50 litres adblue Driver seat ISRI 6860 Climate system

38 kW roof-mounted air conditioning system with fully automatic control Convector heating at side walls Separate climate control for driver

Electrical system Xenon Headlights LED tail lights

Front and rear fog lights

2 x 225 Ah batteries 2 x 150A alternators

Powertrain

Scania 9-litre 5-cylinder Euro 6 SCR (standard) 360 hp at 1900 rpm, 1700 Nm at 1000-1300 rpm Scania 13-litre 6-cylinder Euro 5 SCR (optional) 360 hp at 1900 rpm, 1850 Nm at 1000-1300 rpm 410 hp at 1900 rpm, 2150 Nm at 1000-1300 rpm 8-speed Scania Opticruise automated transmission, with Economy, Standard and Power Modes (standard on all models) 6-speed ZF hydraulic automatic transmission (optional for 360 hp 5-cylinder only)

Brakes & Safety equipment

ABS anti-lock brakes EBS Electronic Braking System ESP Electronic Stability Control Traction Control Disc brakes Hydraulic Retarder Reversing camera Bus stop brake Hill hold Adaptive Cruise Control (An option for Opticruise transmission models only)

Suspension & Wheels

Kneeling front airbag suspension, 4-spring at rear, anti-roll bars front and rear Alcoa DuraBrite aluminium rims Michelin 295/80R 22.5 tyres

Luggage Space

9 cubic metres of underfloor luggage space

Manually operated parallel lift luggage compartment doors

Tool box in luggage compartment.

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