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Squaring up to the competition
Page 97
Page 98
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Pressure for bus orders across the world has been especially ha on -ne market leader Leyland, but the British firm is fighting bad strongly, reports Noel Millier
BRITISH BUSES have long been familiar throughout the world and especially in Commonwealth and ex-British Empire countries and dependencies.
In recent years competition from foreign bus builders has become fierce. Sweden, Germany, France, Japan, Czechoslovakia and Hungary are making determined efforts in both Third World and existing Western bus markets.
British bus builders have squared-up well to .the competition and are still a major influence and in many major markets.
Because of their leading role Leyland Vehicles have been subjected to more corn. petition than most. They are still the major supplier to more than SO major city fleets throughout the world. It is a matter of fact that more than 14,800 Leyland buses are running in urban operation outside the UK.
A major advantage for any exporter is the ability to employ local labour in bus construction and here Leyland score. It has assembly plants in India, Australia, Turkey, Iran and Nigeria.
Almost all exported buses from British manufacturers are bodied locally by complete bodies or from British produced "complete knocked down" kits.
Britain's second largest exporter of buses is Vauxhall Motors. That much-loved long established and hard wearing Bedford SB still forms the backbone of bus fleets in Third World countries and private and school bus operations in other countries.
In 1978 Vauxhall supplied no fewer than 2,743 bus chassis to world markets. These included as many as 1,424 of the ubiquitous Bedford SB to Pakistan. More SBs went to Malaysia and Australia, where a number of YMTs and, still a top seller overseas although no longer available in Britain, VAMs were also supplied.
A large number of SBs went• to Bangladesh, New Zealand and Hong Kong where most were fitted with local bodywork.
Guatemala took 68 Bedford VAMs and, nearer home Denmark took 31 YMTs, many with British bodies. With the exception of a number of Duple bodied Bedford YMTs supplied to Australia, most Bedford chassis were fitted with locally manufactured bodies.
It is difficult to be totally accurate about numbers of buses in service abroad. In addition to specific bus chassis it is likely that a number of lorry chassis end up with locally produced bus bodies.
The Ford R Series is also popular in world markets and in the first nine months of 1 978 Ford exported 10 R Series to Denmark, 12 to the Republic of Ireland, two to Finland, 12 to New Zealand, 32 to Malaysia, two to Taiwan, five to Hong Kong, 96 to South Africa, 36 to El Salvador, two to Gautemala, four to Cyprus and 39 to Greece.
As with the Bedfords the majority of Ford chassis were delivered as chassis for bodying by local body builders, In 1977, however, Ford did complete an order for 400 Duple Dominant bodied R Series which were supplied to Nigeria.
Ford also supplies lorry chassis to world markets and some of these, have appeared as buses. They include a number of Ford D1617 chassised American bodied buses, with Perkins V8 engines in the Philippines.
Hestair-Dennis of Guildford which won a Queen's Award for export achievement in 1978, is constantly looking at world markets to expand the sales potential for its range of bus chassis.
In 1977 Dennis supplied four front-engined Jubilant bus chassis to Kowloon Motor Bus Company in Hong Kong. This order was followed by an order from the same operator for a further 50 similar double-deck bus chassis which have been delivered recently.
The other major Hong Kong operator China Motor Bus has also had delivered an East Lancs bodied rear-engined Dennis Dominator double-deCker....it has on order 30 front-engined Jubilant chassis to which Alexander bodies will be fitted.
Dennis also delivered, in 1978, a Jubilant chassis to Cape Tramways in South Africa where a locally produced double-deck body was fitted. The Dennis Dart front-engined single-deck bus chassis is also available for world markets. A Perkins V8 540 engined Dart fitted with Marshall of Cambridge Campaigner body was exhibited at last year's Baghdad fair in Iraq.
New generation double-deck bus manufacturer MetroCammell Weymann, is also currently supplying double-deck Metrobuses to China Motor Bus Company in Hong Kong. The company has supplied 12 9.5 metre Metrobuses and is at pre sent delivering 40 11.3-metre Metrobuses to the operator. MCW exhibited a new RollsRoyce underfloor-engined bus chassis at the 1978 Motor Show which is to be developed for export.
Ailsa Bus, the Scottish subsidiary of Volvo, is also interested in the export potential of the Ailsa double-decker. China Motor Bus in Hong Kong operates a small number of Ailsas. A demonstration vehicle has recently been put through its paces in Bangkok, Thailand and Singapore.
Seddon Atkinson at Oldham has a steady export record with the Pennine range of bus and coach chassis. Seddon Pennines have been exported regularly to Greece, Malaysia, Bermuda, St Lucia and the Canary Islands.
Undoubtedly British bus products are still a major influence in world bus markets. In some markets interest has reawakened in the double-deck bus concept where in others the more sophisticated articulated bus is gaining favour. A large number of markets still opt for basic simple front-engined vehicles for their ease of maintenance and reliability.
The picture does not finish there. British dealers of secondhand psv and a number of operators have developed export markets of secondhand vehicles to places such as the West Indies, South Africa and Cyprus.
There is still more potential in two other former British markets. Now that Uganda and Zimbabwe-Rhodesia are emerging again to the world-wide commercial scene, Britain's passenger vehicle builders will be quick to attempt to reestablish themselves as premier suppliers.