This year will see a major expansion of the Higer product range and in the next month a significant investment in its Australian dealer network
May 7, 2010
This year will see a major expansion of the Higer product range and in the next month a significant investment in its Australian dealer network.
White Motor Corporation, the Australian and New Zealand distributor for Higer, will expand the range in 2010 with the new 7.7-metre Munro as well as a 43-seat version of the popular 9.2-metre model.
The range will also extend to include a number of school bus variants in the 8-10.5-metre model range.
The 28-seat, 7.7-metre Munro will target a key gap in the bus market for compact buses in the under eight-tonne GVM market.
White Motor Corporation General Manager, Jason Pecotic, says Australian operators need buses designed and built specifically for local conditions with the highest levels of parts and service backup.
He says White has achieved this while delivering operators a lower cost of ownership and operation.
Pecotic says the Australian-designed buses use the best componentry from major US and European manufactures such as Cummins engines, Allison and ZF transmissions, Thermo-King air conditioning and Meritor axles.
“White Motor Corporation targeted these requirements, establishing a national parts centre and strong franchise dealer network across the east coast to provide the highest level of customer service and parts backup to Australian bus operators,” he says.
While relatively new to Australia, Higer ranks as the world’s third-largest bus manufacturer – and China’s largest bus exporter and the second largest brand in the Chinese domestic market.
It produced more than 19,000 buses and coaches globally in 2009, placing it third to Daimler in terms of global sales.
Higer’s 500,000-square-metre manufacturing facility in Suzhou employs more than 3,500 people and has the capacity to produce up to 25,000 buses annually.
In a little more than a year in the Australian market over 100 Higer buses and coaches have been delivered, despite a limited range and a relatively small dealer network.
Its expertise and growing reputation as a global manufacturer resulted in it being chosen by Scania to produce the new A30 school bus.