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• Many European coach and bus manufacturers must find the size of the Japanese coach and bus market a mouthwatering prospect. Nearly 9,000 PSVs with over 29 seats were registered there last year in addition to almost 13,000 with fewer than 29 seats.
Mercedes, Volvo and Drogmuller have all begun to sell coaches there, but only in very small numbers. The serious competition is between Hino, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan Diesel and Toyota. As the Japanese producers' exhibits at this year's Tokyo Show demonstrate, their latest products would be good enough to cause a stir in Europe, if there were no restrictions on their export.
Top: this New Hino Grand Theater 45-seater has a floor which slopes in parallel with the window line to give more passengers a better view. Its engine is Hino's own 16.7-litre, turbocharged vee-eight, rated at 246kW (330hp).
Centre: the rear-engined version of Hino's Rainbow midi-coach is soon to be sold in Belgium and Scandinavia through Setra agents. Hino says that Kassbohrer (UK) would have liked to import the Rainbow too, but was prevented from doing so by the SMMTIJAMA "understanding' about no Japanese vehicles over 3,5-tonnes GVW being sold here. Hino seems to be ignoring the Leyland Swift and Van Hool Alizee in its claim that this midengined version of the Rainbow, unveiled at the Tokyo show, is the "world's first" full width midi-coach with a vertical midmounted engine.
Bottom: stylish Isuzu coaches like this,MR112D are already being described as "Bedford replacements" in places like Australasia. The full extent of Isuzu's plans for its 40%-owned former Bedford Luton van plant, now run by IBC Vehicles, has not yet been revealed.