Scania and Irizar celebrate 20 years in the UK

Recent investment

It is probably less than a year since I was last in Ormeztegi but, as has so often been the case before, the plant has changed massively in the interim as Irizar seeks to maintain momentum and prepare for the future with a further €6million investment. The front of the building and the existing reception area had been completely replaced with an imposing modern reception area replacing it, beyond which a mezzanine floor had gone in and workmen were creating a new customer showroom area where operators can specify their coaches in detail with all of the necessary samples to hand.

Also new, on an area to the left of the coach park and chassis storage section is a smart delivery hall, in keeping with the rest of the modernised buildings, in which customers will take delivery of their new vehicles in future. It is apparently intended for three vehicles at a time but in truth it looks bigger.

It can also be used to entertain groups and for presentations with our party being the very first to be invited in. After a warm welcome, a tour of the plant followed before we returned to the new delivery hall for a group photograph and a series of presentations with mementoes of the visit for everyone.

Further investment, spotted during the factory tour, is the addition of new meeting rooms along the side of the production lines where meetings can be held to improve communication at all levels.

Euro6 i6 RHD

During the event the first right hand drive Irizar i6 to Euro6 specification was shown within the hall. The coach, which is to be a demonstrator when it arrives in the UK in late October, is 12.45m long and 3.5m high (excluding air conditioning pod) and achieves the same capacity of 53 three-point belted recliners with seat-back tables and footrests and a centre sunken toilet as its Euro5 predecessor. This is because Irizar have managed to reduce the weight of the body to compensate for the slightly heavier chassis. It is further assisted by the Scania K360IB4x2 having the DC09-112 360hp engine which has an SCR exhaust after-treatment system but does not need the EGR system that Scania has used on coaches for some time. The SCR system is fitted in a locker on the nearside to the rear of the engine and there is also an 80-litre AdBlue tank together (you can have a 45-litre tank if you prefer) with a 465-litre diesel tank. AdBlue usage is expected to be around 14%.

The Euro6 DC09 produces 360hp at 1,900rpm and torque of 1,700Nm at 1,100-1,350rpm. The transmission is the Scania GR875R two pedal fully automated Opticruise unit with integral retarder and the drive axle is the Scania R660 with a ratio of 1:2.73. Electrical supply comes from two 150amp alternators and two 225a/h batteries. The Scania C200 infotronics system is also fitted, as it is on all vehicles sold on a retail basis. The operator gets an email once a week giving him full details of the driving including harsh braking instances, coasting and idling, helping in an education process designed to give better fuel economy.

Other aspects of the demonstrator specification include a flat floor covered in wooden plank effect laminate flooring, two flat screen monitors, extra-tinted glazing, and a Bosch Professional Line 3 in coach entertainment system with USB and iPod connection.

During the course of the event, Andy Garrett of Tamworth based Solus Coaches signed up to take delivery of the coach around April next year, once the demonstration programme has been completed.

Scania is offering the DC09 engine with three different outputs for bus and coach applications. As well as the 360hp there are two less powerful alternatives delivering 250hp and 280hp, both of which are intended more for bus applications and equipped with both SCR and EGR.

Scania will also be offering the i6 with a 13-litre engine option and the choice of both SCR-only and combined SCR/EGR emission control systems. With the larger 13-litre unit the 410hp model will be SCR only while the more powerful 450hp and 490hp models will also feature EGR, although past Euro5 experience suggests that demand for the two higher outputs is likely to be very limited.

The first chassis with the 13-litre 410hp engine will go into build at the end of the year and will be a 12.9m long 53-seat example. Expected to go on the road during April, it will be used by London based City Circle. MD Neil Pegg confirmed that the plan was to run it alongside tri-axle Neoplan Tourliners for six months to compare the performance, making full use of the FMS infotronics to ensure the accuracy of the data.