Volvo Buses’ joint venture company, Shanghai Sunwin Bus Corporation, recently delivered the thousandth bus to the Bashi Group, the company’s largest customer in China. The bus was part of an order for 30 city buses.
The Bashi Group is the largest company on the city bus market in Shanghai.
“The delivery signals the success that Sunwin Bus has had in Shanghai in recent years,” says Finn Adolfsson, Senior Vice President, Business Regions Asia Pacific & South America for Volvo Buses.
The thousandth bus, a Volvo B7RLE, is a low entry bus. That means that passengers in wheelchairs can get aboard without difficulty.
Sunwin Bus has worked closely with the Bashi Group since 2001. Sunwin has delivered the Volvo B7R bus to the Bashi Group previously. The recent deal for 30 B7RLEs means that the first low-entry Volvo buses have now reached the Chinese market.
“Public transport has developed very quickly in Shanghai in recent years, explains Finn Adolfsson. The premium routes within the city centre now feature a large proportion of Volvo buses.
Volvo Buses has been active in Shanghai since 2000, when the company formed Sunwin Bus Corporation in association with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). Volvo Buses owns 50 per cent and SAIC 50 per cent of the company.
Volvo Buses started production in China in the early 1990s. In 2003 its turnover of USD 94 million made it the largest Volvo company in China. Last year around 1,000 Volvo buses were sold in China through the joint venture companies, Sunwin Bus and Xian Silver Bus. While Sunwin Bus specialises in city buses, Silver Bus makes long-distances coaches. Figures for sales in China exclude Hong Kong and Taiwan.
March 30, 2004
For further information, please contact Per-Martin Johansson, Media relations, Volvo Buses.
tel: +46 31 322 52 00