Volvo and Plaxton claim fuel savings with new models

摘要

In A Show With No Real Star exhibits, for many operators the most significant product launches - the ones they could imagine themselves buying - were Volvo's new B13R and Plaxton's restyled Panther. The B13R replaces both the rear-engined B12B and mid-engined B12M, finally ending Volvo's long association with mid-engined coaches. The 131itre D13C engine also is vertical rather than horizontal, and is available at 420 and 460hp. Volvo's UK sales manager, Nick Page, says that 10 weeks' trials with a fully laden B13R-underpinned 9700 coach across the UK have shown it used 12% less fuel than an equivalent B12B. However, it would be wrong to imagine that the B13R will be Volvo's bestseller in the UK.