Marcopolo SA of Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil has shipped a first batch of 109 urban buses, out of a total 472 units, to Scania West Africa Ltd of Accra, Ghana.

Late November saw Marcopolo SA of Caxias du Sol present to President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasília, ABCD region of São Paulo, its first battery-electric bus fitted with its own technology and components from Brazilian and international suppliers.

Marcopolo SA, with a 51.6% market share amongst the body builders, this month launched its Generation 8 luxury coach model.

“In recent years, we have increased our competitiveness and strengthened sales to several countries in the African continent, such as Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana, among others.

BYD Brasil Ltd, in partnership with body builder, Marcopolo SA, have launched the first intercity electric coach, which went on trial for 90 days in June with transport operator, Expresso Princesa dos Campos.

Bus and coach body builder, Metalsur Carrocerias SA has reported record sales growth of 321.8% for 2020 with registrations of 232 bus and coach bodies compared with just 55 units in 2019.

BYD and Marcopolo in March announced delivery of the first articulated electric bus to be made in Brazil to the city of São José dos Campos. The vehicle is to be used for city public transport as part of the Linha Verde project.

Commercial vehicle manufacturer, Tata Motors Ltd is to acquire the 49% shareholding in Tata Marcopolo Motors Ltd, the Indian body building joint venture belonging to Brazilian bus body builder, Marcopolo SA, for a cash sum of USD13.88m.

The new 22m-long electric bus, called the Attivi Express, features the BYD D11B low floor chassis with BYD’s latest lithium iron phosphate battery technology.

Marcopolo recorded net revenue of BRA836.5m in the third quarter of 2020, which was a reduction of 22.6% compared with BRA957m in the same period in 2019.

Following the formation of Marcopolo Next, a new division of bus and coach body builder, Marcopolo SA, set up at the start of the year to work start-up companies to develop new technologies, the company says its focus has been on developing biosafety solutions to make public transport safer from viral contamination.

Marcopolo SA has taken a controlling shareholding in Metalsur Carrocerías S.R.L., a manufacturer of coach bodies, located in Santa Fe, Argentina by increasing its shareholding in Metalsur, from 25%, which it acquired in 2012 to 70%.