Renault fires up Midliner
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Renault is returning to the fire engine market after a break of two years with a 13-tonne 4x2 Midliner chassis.
A Type B 1,000-litre tender, bodied by Saxon of Sandbach, will be unveiled at Fire 91 at Torquay in October. It is one of 26 destined for Avon Fire Service over the next six years.
Saxon's managing director Roger Cotton says it's unlikely that any other fire services will buy the vehicle for the moment: "many brigades are waiting to see how the Midliner performs before the order season kicks off in spring," he says.
The vehicle has a 6.2-litre, 172kW (230hp) charge-cooled engine, Allison automatic gearbox and a steel-framed body.
Renault has been out of the fire engine market since its Commando rigid range was discontinued in 1989.
The Midliner fire engine has been developed in France where it has been available for a few months. A right-hand-drive prototype was built at Renault's Dunstable factory, and has been on test for 18 months. A nineperson crew cab has also been designed in-house.
Renault admits that its delay
in launching a replacement for the Commando fire chassis has allowed competitors such as Scania and Volvo to get more of a foothold in the market.
Scania makes about 50 fire engines a year on its 17-tonne chassis, and has 150 in service in the UK. It says business has grown dramatically.