At this year’s Expo, Irizar used its space to celebrate a milestone and share its future plans.
Irizar viewed the Expo as an ideal time to display its 1000th vehicle sold in the country. The Irizar i6S 3900 was delivered to Kangaroo Bus Lines (KBL). The Managing Director of KBL Darren Webster ensured the Irizar model made it to Sydney in time.
“We really wanted to show our 1000th vehicle sold in Australia,” Irizar Asia Pacific managing director Steve Heanes told ABC. “It’s just ticked over 30,000 kilometres and has been kept in really good condition, making it a great centrepiece of our stall.”
Heanes says having the 1000th Irizar vehicle delivered in the nation sends a message that Irizar has delivered a large number of vehicles in a short time. Irizar also brought down another of its i6S 3900 luxury coach bodies courtesy of Sydney operator Road Coach. In a world first, the body was fitted with the latest Sege seats.
“It’s an exciting first for us to be part of,” Heanes says. “This release on-board one of our bodies means the vehicle has received a lot of interest, not only for the seats, but also for the camera mirror system which Road Coach ordered specifically.”
Heanes says transporting the new Sege seats to the Expo and fitting them onto the Irizar body wasn’t easy. The seats only arrived in Australia on the Friday before the Expo, with a team of four Irizar employees working on the days before the event to take the existing seats out and replace them with the Sege models.
“These Sege seats are so unique because they’re lighter but still look like an up-market charter coach seat,” Heanes says. “Weight is an important factor to keep the overall vehicle weight down.
“These seats balance perfectly between quality and weight. It’s no wonder why we’ve received such positive feedback on the body and the seats.”
RELATED ARTICLE: Irizar Expo preview
Heanes says the decision to switch the seats last minute was beneficial for both Irizar and Sege. Alongside the two i6S 3900 bodies on display was a third i6s body on a 0500RF Mercedes-Benz chassis belonging to Alston Coaches of Melbourne, which sat at the Mercedes-Benz stand.
While this happened, an i6 3700 body was also on display on a chassis at the MAN Truck & Bus stand to give Irizar a wide reach at the Expo.
“It’s been great to show our bodies and give customers the chance to touch and see them in person,” Heanes says.”We believe showing the vehicles in person can give people ideas and complete the last little step of deals.”
Heanes says Irizar is spruiking the safety side of its products and its passenger comfort to attendees. Heanes says the quality coach and charter supplier has Euro 6 options that include the latest suite of safety features on all the European chassis suppliers.
While tackling supply issues still lingering from the COVID pandemic and the current global shipping delays, Heanes is still positive about the market recovering.
“This Expo gives us a good chance to spread our brand and reengage with customers face to face,” Heanes says. “With the relocation of our premises coming up, it will lift our brand image further and make our operations more efficient moving forward to cope with market demands while also allowing us to offer our customers different types of services.”