The cat's out of the bag
Page 48
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Leyland's confidence in its new cat, and with it the oncepopular tiger's head badge has resurfaced.
My initial impression is that Tiger deserves to succeed. It should prove a suitable basis for all bodywork available in Britain and all augurs well provided it can be delivered when and where it is needed.
Leyland Bus representatives were at pains to point out that Tiger's launch was not paid for with public money and that Leyland Bus is a profitable business in its own right.
Operators I spoke to were to a man impressed by the launch and I gained the impression that Leyland had stolen the thunder from its Continental competitors who are used to taking potential customers on visits to their European plants as a matter of course.
Whether the Tiger attracts orders in Europe as well as Britain could well depend on marketing policies, though it was interesting to see one of the three prototypes fitted with Van Hool bodywork. With the emergence of the MAN SR280 integral coach on the British market, the billiondollar question is whether many British operators will move away from the traditional mid-engined chassis?
British bodybuilders and chassis manufacturers are watching closely to see if the advantage of underfloor luggage space will attract many in the British industry.
The Tiger launch still leaves a rear-engine gap in the Leyland coach ranger but when I spoke to a Leyland senior executive in Gibraltar I gained the impression that the gap could be filled quickly if demand moved that way. The possibility of a future rear-engined jungle-mate for the Tiger now seems distinct.
Tiger Strikes Back for Britain and You was the slogan for the launch, but it remains to be seen if all that drum-beating and razzmatazz can be translated into firm orders and whether defecting operators can be persuaded to rejoin Leyland's ranks.