[volkman10]

Volvo Buses India launches 9600 platform.

the next-gen Volvo 9600 platform which will spawn factory-built sleeper and seater coaches in 15 metre 6x2 and 13.5 metre 4x2 configurations.

The Volvo 9600 has been derived from award-winning European design has its tall boy design marries fine aesthetics with generous space, the company said in a press note. The 15 metre seater coach has a passenger capacity of 55, whereas the sleeper coach has 40 berths.

The seater and sleeper applications incorporate 15.1 cu.m and 9.2 cu.m of luggage space respectively. The 13.5m coach seats up to 47 passengers, while the sleeper variant hosts 36 berths. The corresponding luggage space for the seater and sleeper variants are 13.6 cu.m and 8.1 cu.m respectively.

At the heart of the Volvo 9600 platform is a fuel-efficient Volvo D8K (8-litre) engine, delivering a power of 260kW (350hp) @ 2200 RPM and a torque of 1350 Nm @ 1200-1600 RPM. The fuel-efficient engine along with its purpose-developed drivetrain is designed to minimise TCO and maximize uptime for bus operators. The chassis includes the I-Shift automated manual gearbox, electronic braking system (EBS) Hill start aid and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) systems.

The 9600 platform is driver friendly, has ergonomically designed curved dashboard with controls for easy accessibility. It also has air-suspended seats with adjustable headrest to ensure a fatigue-free experience for the driver

Link

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Volvo Buses India launches 9600 platform.

Really beautiful machine! These are the longest bus so far in India, right?

[KL42]

Beautifully designed. Comfort wise, Volvos are proven lot.

Definitely a step up in the public transport hopefully. Fuel efficiency would be something that all operators would focus on going forward considering the current financial state of operators be it private or public transport corporations.

Hope to see them soon with KA-SRTC/ KSRTC on popular routes.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Volvo Buses India launches 9600 platform.

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For Prices & more:

- The new bus will be priced in the range of Rs 1.3 crore to Rs. 2 crores, depending on the specifications and the level of customization.

- At the heart of the Volvo 9600 platform is a Volvo D8K (8-litre) engine, delivering power of 260kW (350hp) @ 2200 RPM and a torque of 1350 Nm @ 1200-1600 RPM. The chassis includes the I-Shift automated manual gearbox, electronic braking system (EBS) Hill-start aid and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) systems.

-No plans to come up with an electric drive-train option for this model as the infrastructure doesn’t support such buses for long-distance routes.

-Sleeper buses travel a distance of up to 1,000 km. And a typical electric bus goes up to 250 km on a single charge. So, it is not feasible to consider that

- Customers have an option to buy it from an OEM and therein Volvo have an edge over competitors

- State transport corporations and private fleet operators are the target customers of the new model.


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[volkman10]

New Volvo Bus 9600 Platform:




















Source:

[Aditya]

Volvo 9600 intercity buses launched in India - Posts moved to a new thread.

[Quatro]

Many of these sleeper buses do have internal washrooms. Doesn't seem to be included in this one, which will be a disadvantage.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by Quatro

Many of these sleeper buses do have internal washrooms. Doesn't seem to be included in this one, which will be a disadvantage.

For obvious reasons. The chances your long distance train comes to a screeching halt is extremely rare. Out on the wild Indian highways, you'll never know when you'll have to smash that brake pedal. Understandable miss.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Really beautiful machine! These are the longest bus so far in India, right?
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Volvo Buses India launch the longest bus in India with Volvo 9600 Platform.


Link

[varoon9999]

Wow, Volvo is ruling this space, despite Scania tried hard to eat away Volvo's market share. When it comes to comfort and ride quality its always Volvo. I'm sure 9600 would be no different.

Unfortunately, for hilly terrains 9600 is not a suitable product considering its longer wheelbase and overall length. However 9400 will keep ruling hilly roads. I personally travel a lot on HRTC Volvos and I've seen 9400 struggling in my Chamba-Delhi route, all thanks to sharp and tight bends all across that terrain. I wonder if someone may dare to take 9600 to Chamba-Delhi route.

[ads295]

I've always wondered how these buses are maintained. I've not been in a single Volvo bus that didn't have the "check engine" light on. Some of them have displayed multiple error messages on the LCD display.
It's a high-tech piece of kit but needs to be maintained as such.

[Fx14]

Originally Posted by varoon9999

Unfortunately, for hilly terrains 9600 is not a suitable product considering its longer wheelbase and overall length. However 9400 will keep ruling hilly roads. I personally travel a lot on HRTC Volvos and I've seen 9400 struggling in my Chamba-Delhi route, all thanks to sharp and tight bends all across that terrain. I wonder if someone may dare to take 9600 to Chamba-Delhi route.

These models are best suited for the new generation multi-lane expressways being built, where they can cruise effortlessly, providing higher comfort levels with minimal engine noise filtering in due to their rear mounted engines, as compared to the locally built buses with front engines.

Couple of decades ago, custom built Sleeper buses on the Ashok Leyland / Tata chassis were introduced on the erstwhile NH17 Mumbai - Goa route which ran through the swerving Konkan hilly terrain. Traveller's who tried it had pretty bad experiences due to the constant swerving in the ghats, leading to a tiring and sleepless overnight journey. So much that majority preferred the normal sitting buses for future trips.

Post the Mumbai-Pune expressway being built, few operators started experimenting with taking the longer but more smoother and straighter Mumbai-Pune expressway - Kolhapur - Goa route. The Volvo sleepers now operate via this route by default, which has met with much better Customer response and satisfaction levels.

[aveoman19]

That is one smart looking Bus! Would've loved to see a little better/modern dashboard and steering wheel though. The current dashboard dates it a bit. The signature Volvo Trucks/Buses Day Time Running lamps are a nice touch. Option of Alcoa Wheels can spruce up the aleady good looking giant (sigh. Wishful thinking )

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by varoon9999

Wow, Volvo is ruling this space, despite Scania tried hard to eat away Volvo's market share. When it comes to comfort and ride quality its always Volvo. I'm sure 9600 would be no different.

Are Scania buses still sold in India? I thought they closed shop due to poor demand!

[aveoman19]

Yes. They stopped making Buses in 2018. Not just lack of demand. There were many other management issues with Scania's Local partners. I believe they're still making trucks hough. Experts. correct me if I'm wrong please