BRAZIL
Marcopolo, a significant manufacturer of bus bodies in the South American market, has launched its new Generation 8 family of models, which it says represents a ‘breakthrough in innovation for the brand, with unique standards of safety, comfort, connectivity, handling and ergonomics, for passengers and driver.’
Composed of the traditional models of the Viaggio and Paradiso lines, in their different versions, its Generation 8 bodywork has been developed to suit chassis from the major manufacturers in the local market.
“Marcopolo always seeks to create innovative and truly valuable transport solutions for customers, passengers, collaborators and business partners. Generation 8 is a representation of this purpose. A concept designed to make buses safer, more comfortable, more efficient and more profitable. Our goal was to design a vehicle capable of transforming the travel experience”, said James Bellini, CEO of Marcopolo. We seek to bring buses as close as possible to the automotive concept in standardising the manufacturing and assembly processes. The result is a bus focused on quality and profitability for the operator, comfort and connectivity for passengers, as well as ease of maintenance and repair”, added Luciano Resner, Director of Industrial Operations at Marcopolo.
The new family of vehicles shows an 11% improvement in drag coefficient, promising to reduces operating costs as a result of fuel savings and a consequent reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases.
The company has also invested in research and development to design the entire internal environment, sending company engineers to travel across the country to help understand the different needs and preferences of customers. As a result, changes were made, such as widening steps, introducing indirect LED lighting and a new design for the door opening system, which it says will be more efficient and robust.
Sustainability was also considered. One of the company’s priorities was to reduce the use of fibreglass by 80%, replacing it with raw materials from special polymers used in the manufacture of bumpers, front grilles and back covers, among other components, resulting in lighter and more resistant parts which offer greater flexibility and impact absorption, and can be easily repaired or recycled.
Generation 8 will also continue to use Marcopolo Biosafe, a platform designed to make public transport safer against viral and bacterial contamination and together offer solutions focused on biosafety. Items such as disinfection of the restroom and air conditioning using UV-C light, antimicrobial curtains and covers, 1x1x1 layout and hand sanitiser dispensers are available.
The ergonomics of the driver’s cab was one of the points that received the most attention, the manufacturer said, with the adoption of a new internal finish with injected parts for better finishing, strength and appearance, and ‘soft touch’ finishes for sophistication and internal noise reduction.
