Renault waiting on a big bus
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• As predicted in Commercial Motor, Renault Truck Industries is looking towards selling buses in the UK — although the UK subsidiary of French truck and bus giant Renault Vehicules Industriels says it has yet to decide on which model will spearhead its attack on the rapidly-reviving British city bus market.
RVI has a wide range of French-built bus models which could be brought into the UK. One strong possibility is the PR100 chassis, which takes an 11.4-metre long body, capable of being fitted with up to 50 seats. The PR100 in powered by the same basic 9.8-litre MIDR Renault diesel engine as the Dunstable-built G260 and G290 tractive units.
For PSV applications in the PR100, the turbocharged engine is derated to give either 130kW (175hp) or 146kW (196hp), and is coupled to either a Voith or a ZF fullyautomatic gearbox.
Any French bus chassis sold into the UK would not only require conversion to right-hand drive, but would also need modifications to comply with the British PSV construction regulations.
Rumours currently circulating within the industry are suggesting that if Renault does bring in the PR100, it will be fitted with a Northern Counties single decker body, The Wigan-based PSV bodybuilder, however, says that while it is talking to RTI no agreement has been reached — "We are always looking to talk to any chassis manufacturer".
During recent years, Northern Counties has produced relatively few single-deck fulllength bus bodies, and it could be looking to increase its presence in the sector.