JAC Enters Medium-sized Bus Market to Rival with Toyota Coaster
2009-05-19 Source：english.chinabuses.com
Summarize：At 2009 Shanghai International Auto Show, JAC brought one of its new bus models called “Best”. With a common appearance, it managed to attracted many professionals from both home and abroad.
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At 2009 Shanghai International Auto Show, JAC brought one of its new bus models called “Best”. With a common appearance, it managed to attracted many professionals from both home and abroad.
JAC Best Bus Model
Currently, the domestic high-end medium-sized bus is dominated by Toyota Coaster series, which is priced between RMB 368,000 (about USD 53,900) and RMB 1.15 million (about USD 168,496). In 2008, the sales volume of 7-meter bus reached 18,500 units, 30% of which are branded with Toyota Coaster. Other domestic top-layer bus & coach builders, due to their yet-to-be-upgraded chassis technologies, can only build medium-sized buses priced at about RMB 200,000 (about USD 29,281.97) for the middle- and low-end markets. An unnamed official from a domestic bus builder frustratingly revealed that the gross profits the medium-sized bus manufactured by the company only stand at RMB 3,000 (about USD 439.464) and it is almost unprofitable after deducting the post-sale service costs.
It is predicted that along with an increasingly more convenient railway networks, high-end medium-sized bus & coach will enjoy a good opportunity for further development even though the large-sized bus & coach market has been adversely affected.
Take a large-sized bus traveling between Suzhou and Nanjing for example. The fare is RMB 70 (about USD 10.26) per person. However with 47 seats, only nine seats are occupied. Taking the toll and gasoline costs into consideration, the total costs for one way travel is about RMB 578 (about USD 84.66). However, the ticket revenue for the bus operator is only RMB 630 (about USD 92.28). If the driver’s salary, the maintenance fee and depreciation fee are taken into account, the one-way trip is sure to lose money for the bus operator.
Under the same circumstance, if the bus operator uses Toyota Coaster with 21 seats, the total costs of the one-way trip can be reduced to RMB 402 (about USD 58.88). However, it has to be noted that the cheapest Coaster model will cost RMB 368,000 (about USD 53,900), almost the same as a nine-meter luxury bus with 35 seats. Moreover, Toyota Coaster is only mounted with gasoline engine, whose fuel consumption is remarkably higher than the same type of bus equipped with a diesel engine.
Given above, JAC is sure that the medium-sized bus promises a huge market potential. Its Best bus model, adopting the same chassis structure with Toyota Coaster: double wishbone independent suspension and vertical bending beam. Thus, the drivability of the bus is greatly improved. The O-shaped enclosed body frame of the bus makes it sturdier but lighter in weight.
In addition, JAC Best can provide customers with one diesel engine or two different gasoline engines powered models to cater to the practical needs of different markets. The Kw/rpm and Nm/rpm of the imported NGD3.0L diesel engine from the US-based International Truck and Engine Corp. (ITEC) can reach 120KW/3800rpm and 362N.m/1600-2200rpm respectively and the maximum speed of the bus can reach 125 km/h. The Kw/rpm and Nm/rpm of the 2.7 liter gasoline powered bus reaches 110KW/4400rpm and 235N.m/2400rpm respectively.
The equipment of front and rear disc brakes, ABS (anti-lock braking system), EBD (electronic brake-force distribution), and automatic adjusting arm of the braking clearance have ensured the high safety standards of the bus.
In an interview, YANG Xingkun from JAC Coach Chassis Marketing Company excitedly told reporter that JAC Best bus is targeted at the high end market. With the first-class parts and accessories, the bus is competitively priced at about RMB 300,000 (about USD 43,805.63), over RMB 70,000 (about USD 10,252.95) lower than Toyota Coaster. Thanks to this, it is believed that the days for the monopoly of Toyota Coaster are already numbered after the entry of JAC Best into the domestic medium-sized bus market.
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