Prevost - Volvo - Engine

[truk4u]

If I understood the Prevost Rep at the Marathon Mini Rally, the seated buses will get the Volvo engine January 07 and the conversions will follow Jan 08. Say goodbuy to your Detroit's boys... George and I also complained about the Crapco mirrors, first time the Prevost Rep heard about this!

[MangoMike]

New engines in 2008, so I won't have to cross that bridge until about 2115. Until then DD City for me.

MM

[Just Plain Jeff]

The Volvo engine story was on the p-stuff site last winter. The problem with the DD engines is that in order to get up to the new EPA standards, the exhaust temperature would be about 650F+degrees, which is 'difficult' if you are parked on asphalt or grass. Anyway, the only solution would have been a 'stack' a la the Wanderlodge deal, and the conversion side of the business would have lost a great deal of room for the insulated stack; the seated bus people didn't like it because they would also lose some seating.

So, Volvo had been testing a 12.7 liter engine in Sweden and owns the former Mack plant in Maryland. Their plan is to put this new mill in a Prevost chassis and put it on the road. The spin that Prevost Car is selling is that you could get your engine worked on at any Volvo truck place. I'm not quite ready to buy that one yet, as Volvo trucks have a notoriously bad reputation with the mechanics...every single electrical wire in a Volvo truck is WHITE and some are coded, but the coding is very difficul to see.

What is important in all of this is that Prevost has had a long time relationship with DD, which Volvo is forcing them to abandon. And, most importantly, is this the beginning of Volvo flexing their ownership muscles...what will be next?

Volvo has been testing a stainless chassis in Sweden now for several years. They are the world's largest bus selling throughout the world except for the US and the question is: Will they use Prevost as an entre for the North American market? Or, will they introduce their own buses to compete with a company they already own?

As to the mirrors, I am not surprised. There is not much of a connection between PCC and the customers. So, it is good that you made one.

Good research!