Marcopolo launched in July five new bus models. The goal is to help increase sales in this period of weak demand by launching state-of-the-art vehicles that are safer and more comfortable and thus stimulate Brazilian customers to renew their fleets so that they can boost efficiency and productivity.
The five new bus models are: the new road bus Paradiso 1350, which complements the Generation 7 buses; the intercity Ideale, and the city buses Novo Torino Express (articulated), Novo Torino Low Entry (low floor) and the Novo Torino with rear engine.
This is not the first time that the Company, going contrary to the overall direction of the market, has invested and launched new bus models in period or low demands. In 2009, during the global economic crisis, Marcopolo launched its Generation 7 of road buses, which has been very successful in Brazil and abroad, with high levels of exports.
Marcopolo has, since 2008, launched more than 100 new bus models across the world. On average, it is about one new bus model launched per month. These new models include buses especially designed for other markets and countries, as well as models for Brazilian cities, mainly BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) buses.
Paradiso 1350
The competitive edges of the Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 includes wider space for luggage - 1,350 cm side skirt and the largest volumetric capacity of the market, with more than 20.5 cubic meters; new interior design, new seats, reading light sets and toilet. The bus has been developed to meet operators` needs in middle and long distance trips.
The Paradiso 1350 complements the family of Generation 7 Buses - Viaggio 900, Viaggio 1050, Paradiso 1050, Paradiso 1200, Paradiso 1600 Low Driver and Paradiso 1800 Double Decker - and offers the same features of the other models of Generation 7, such as superior level of comfort, safety and ergonomics for passengers, in addition to its futuristic finish and bold design, which identify the Company as a manufacturer of buses for passengers transportation.
Designed and developed by Marcopolo`s engineering – in its Ana Rech unit, in Caxias do Sul - the new model is the first to offer the new seats manufactured by Marcopolo, which are more ergonomic and comfortable, in addition to new interior linings, reading lights and new toilet design.
Ideale, your choice for intercity and charter bus lines
Marcopolo extends its line of road and intercity buses and launches the new Ideale. Marcopolo`s aim is to offer a vehicle with advantages such as comfort and design (New Marcopolo DNA ), and ease of operation. It is a bus designed for the intercity and chartering segments, and also regular lines of short and medium distances.
The Ideale has been designed based on the latest manufacturing concepts: optimization of its structure with better utilization of the internal space, higher structural rigidity, more comfort, safety, ergonomics and lower operating cost. With adding-value features, the model was developed as an addition to its already well-known road line – Paradiso, Viaggio, Audace and Senior to complement the already conceptualized road line, with the models Paradiso, Viaggio, Audace and Senior.
Designed to offer even more comfort, safety and ergonomics for passengers, the vehicle is 50 mm wider than the current model and features a new design, with LED turning lights, new front grill (Hive standard), injected lower bars in front bumper and fog light as optional item.
Marcopolo extends its Torino city bus line
The launches of the Torino Express, Torino Low Entry and Torino (Rear Engine) completes Marcopolo`s line of its Torino city buses, which has been the most successful one ever in the Brazilian market. The new models, along with the traditional model with front engine, extend choices for urban public transportation operators, ranging from a vehicle with low operating costs for severe applications to more sophisticated models designed for public transportation needs, and from conventional service to the BRT system.
The Torino line comprises four different models: Torino front engine, Torino Rear Engine, Torino Low Entry, and Torino Articulated Express. “Our aim is to offer our partners the best solution, the one they need for their business/service, from the Torino with front engine (which is the model with the lowest cost in terms of acquisition and operation) to the Torino Articulated Express (with seating capacity for more than 130 passengers)” says Paulo Corso, Commercial Operations Director of Marcopolo.
According to Corso, the Novo Torino models Torino Articulated Express, Torino Rear Engine and Torino Low Entry allow the company to offer options for basic segregated bus lanes and BRT systems.
Novo Torino Articulated Express Bus
With a total length of 20 to 23 meters, the Torino Articulated Express bus has been designed to suit both systems, basic segregated lanes and BRT system. The model features modern design and technology favoring functionality, comfort and safety, with redesigned multiplex system, dashboard with 3.5” color LCD display and air conditioning system offered as an option. It also features new rear and front lights including daylight, which provides more security in urban transit.
The Torino Express has been designed to offer comfort and safety to passengers, lower operating and maintenance costs for the operator when compared with models for BRT systems, in addition to improved ergonomics and convenience for drivers and conductors.
The Novo Torino Express features wider internal width (2.55 m), with ample room for passengers to move around, in addition to more comfort and security for drivers. Interior LED lighting, ergonomic City seats with new headrests (offered as an option item) that facilitate passengers` movement, and seats with high backrests, also offered as an option.
To provide extra accessibility, the Torino Express has five priority seats for seniors, pregnant women and/or people with disabilities, automatic lift, and dedicated space for wheelchair users. It also features a new bell system (Stop Button) (cordless), being all these items according to current legislation.
To ensure extra thermal and acoustic comfort, the model has air inflator for the driver and the conductor, and new large window pane with a more efficient air capture system. The driver's station has also been redesigned, with a wide area in the dashboard, in addition to a console with object-holder.
In the passengers` compartment, the vehicle features new decoration and a new floor divided into removable panels and cantilevered-feet seats, which allows repairs to the floor without removing the seats. This results in a lower service cost and ease of cleaning, which also applies in all body linings.
Torino Low Entry
The Torino Low Entry features a sturdy design, high reliability and excellent cost/benefit ratio. These attributes are recognized by operators/entrepreneurs in the urban passenger transport sector. It meets all the requirements of current transportation systems in the country and abroad, and is equipped with air suspension and low-floor, providing easy access for all passengers without the need of a lift. Loading and unloading passengers is also faster, including passengers with reduced mobility and wheelchair users.
With a length of up to 13.3 m and 2.60 m in width, it allows the installation of extra seats with no loss in the circulation area or in the inner space. Developed for application in the most modern mass transit systems in major urban centers, the bus is among the most advanced models ever manufactured in Brazil. It features seating capacity for up to 90 passengers (49 seated passengers and 41 standing passengers), in addition to priority seats for people with disabilities, seniors and/or pregnant women, one seat for an obese person and one securement wheelchair area.
The model can be equipped with air-conditioning, seats with headrest, armrest and foot rest, in addition to garbage bins in the passengers` compartment. For extra safety, it can also receive fleet management system, internal Led lighting system, and audiovisual equipment (19-inch LCD monitors) and back up siren.
Torino Rear Engine
The Torino with rear engine has the same technical features as the Novo Torino with front engine. A new important feature is its thermal acoustic comfort. Marcopolo has developed, for this model, a new insulation system for the engine hood which, combined with its location on the rear, reduces considerably the noise level inside the bus, not to mention the ambient temperature in the passengers` compartment.
Because of its Low-Entry feature, the Torino with rear engine also makes access easier for passengers, without the need of a lift for users with reduced mobility or for wheelchair users.
Photos: Gelson da Costa