Lowheight decker to be Leyland flagship
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
LEYLAND'S leading double-decker of the 1980s now looks certain to be B45. the model which was conceived originally as the low-height body-on version of the Titan.
Delays in development of B43, the coach which will succeed the Leopard, are said to be the result of increased activity on the B45 project to meet the industry's demand for a less sophisticated and less standardised version of the Titan.
While details of B45 are still. a closely guarded secret, it seems certain that the original concept of a Titan underframe capable of succeeding the Bristol VRT as the lowheight Leyland has been abandoned, and the vehicle will instead be a separate chassis frame with Titan running units.
This should make it an attractive vehicle for independent bodybuilders to work with. 845 should find a wide range of customers in all sec-. tors of the industry. It should also allow the company to cease production of Atlanteans before the model becomes obsolete.
Early availability of B45 will be to Leyland's advantage in the increasingly competitive double-deck market, but Titan's future seems less clear.
Provided that London Transport's initial faith in the model is underlined by sizable repeat orders, the model can be assured of a long production life, but a repeat of its Merlin/Fleetline modern bus rejection or total support for Metrobus or another model would force the company to recoup its new decker investment from 845 alone.
Whatever happens, the combination of market pressures and customer preference has continued the British bus industry's tradition of not buying totally integral vehicles of essentially standardised specification.
• Alan Millar