The new standard for bus and coach delivery numbers in Australia is now into triple figures as another stellar month of deliveries saw the industry push out more orders.
Following February’s 135 deliveries and January’s 137, March continued a strong start for 2024, with 135 units delivered for the month.
A rampant start to 2024 continued for Volvo in the chassis market as it backed up 47 deliveries for February with a further 43 in March. A massive March sees Volvo clearly atop the market, more than double ahead of the next best Scania with 19 deliveries. Yutong was once again strong with 16, while I-Bus shot up in the rankings in March with 15 deliveries and BYD recorded 10 deliveries. King Long remained steady with seven deliveries, while Custom Denning and BCI both recorded six. Mercedes-Benz and BLK’s consistency continued with four units delivered apiece, while MAN and Challenger shared the final deliveries with two deliveries each.
The top of the bodybuilder market once again belonged to Volgren, remaining consistent with 35 March deliveries. It sat comfortably ahead of Yutong (16) and I-Bus (15), while Irizar celebrated the opening of its new Pakenham site with 12 deliveries. BCI continued to excel with nine deliveries, while King Long, Custom Denning and Scania Higer all had seven deliveries, with Nexport one behind and BLK two behind with the five deliveries. Express Coaches (four) shot away from the peloton, with five brands sharing the final nine deliveries.
The king of the seating market once again claimed its throne, with McConnell reaching the half-century mark for March deliveries. Its 50 units was far and away ahead of the second-placed Sege with 26, with Yutong rounding out the podium with 16 deliveries. APM (15) and StyleRide (14) both had strong months, while King Long was next up with seven deliveries. To round out the seating market, Marcopolo (three) finished narrowly ahead of both Fainsa and newcomer Leadcom, who both had two deliveries.
The month of March belonged to Thermo King in the air-conditioning game, as the HVAC brand romped home with 41 deliveries. Coachair was left in its wake in second place with 20 deliveries, finishing ahead of Cling-Yutong on 16. Behind the front three was another close group, with Valeo (13), Hispacold (12) and Songz (11) all very tight. King Long and Konvekta couldn’t be split with seven deliveries apiece, while MCC (four) stayed ahead of Denso (two), Spheros (one) and StyleRide (one) at the end.
The state-based battle once again belonged to Victoria, with the southern state beating out some fierce competition from the north to claim March bragging honours with 44 deliveries. Its busy month was closely followed by Queensland (32), with NSW in third with 27 units delivered. WA wasn’t far behind on 25, with South Australia (five) and the ACT (two) claiming the final deliveries.
For website piece: Click here for comprehensive bus and coach delivery information for March. Please note all data is as supplied from manufacturers, at their discretion.