RTI enters 'big bus' ring
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/ As predicted by Commercial Motor in March, Renault Truck Industries has entered the British single-deck "big bus" market with the Frenchbuilt Renault PR100.2 underframe, which will debut at next month's Birmingham Motor Show with a Northern Counties body. The 51-53-seater, intended for fare-stage operations, comes with a 5.6mwheelbase for an 11.4m body.
Power is provided by the turbocharged Renault MIPS 06.20.45 "COREBUS" engine, available in three power ratings of 129,144 and 176kW (175,196 and 240hp). The six cylinder COREBUS unit is derived from the MIDS engine used in Renault's G-Range of trucks which is sold in Britain.
RTI will be offering the rearengined PR100.2 with a wide variety of automatic transmissions. The 129kW underframe gets either a ZF4HP box or the Voith 851.2; the 144kWengined chassis gets either a 4 or 5HP ZF gearbox or a Voith; and the 176kW version has the Voith 863. All come with a hydraulic retarder as standard.
The PR100.2 has air suspension on both axles, with additional coil springs on the front, and leaf springs on the rear. An anti-roll bar is also fitted to the steered axle.
Fully-built-up right-handdrive PR100.2 underframes will be shipped into the UK from RVI's Venissieux plant at Lyon for bodying by Northern Counties, which has been working closely with RTI to develop the new single-decker.
The all-steel jig-built 2.9m high NC body has alloy exter nal panelling with GRP front and rear sections and is integrated with the PR100.2 multitube "lattice" chassis. The first complete vehicle will be on Northern Counties' stand at the motor show and is based on the 144kW underfrarne.
The PR100.2 will compete with the Leyland Tiger, Dennis Javelin bus and soon-to-be launched Daf SB2200/Optare single-deck city bus. o Renault has made a number of improvements to its S56 midibus chassis which gains larger brakes. A heavier version of the 50-series bus chassis, likely to be based on the 7.5tonne S75 chassis, is expected to be lauched in the UK before the end of the year. It is believed that the S75 bus chassis will be fitted with an automatic gearbox and a Telma retarder as standard, and will carry up to 33 passengers.