The exhibition attracted over 190 exhibitors and over 75 vehicles under the theme of “collaboration, innovation, and sustainable solutions”.

The vehicle in question is an articulated ‘Urbino 18’ battery electric bus, one of fifty ordered in 2023 by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, the state-owned company which manages public transportation in the German capital.

Sales of commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw fell by over 12% year-on-year to 255,680 units in the first nine months of 2024.

Källenius’s stated priorities are to lobby for less bureaucracy, to push for a more “market-driven” transition to electric vehicles, and to champion international trade that is “free, fair and rule based”.

Sales declined by 15% to 276,272 in the third quarter of 2024.

Having provided specialist financial solutions for the bus and coach industry for more than 20 years, the group has now invested in a fleet of top-of-the range coaches.

Series production is set for Q1 2025 at its Vysoke Myto plant in the Czech Republic. Available in two main versions (a 12 and a 13-metre variant),  these buses are designed for both urban and intercity missions.

Güliz Şengör, Marketing Communications Manager at Karsan told T&BB: “We are planning to introduce our e-ATA Class II version to the market in 2025, derived from our existing 12-metre e-ATA Class I model.”

The 12-metre low-entry Ikarus 120e has an 86-passenger capacity in a 3-door configuration. The 314 kWh LFP battery pack allows for a range of up to 350km (217 miles) on a single charge.

The orders comprise 31, GX 337 H2 LINIUM BRT hydrogen fuel cell buses and 20, GX 437 ELEC LINIUM BRT battery electric buses.

The order includes 150 high-end electric luxury intercity coaches and 50 e-buses.

These funds are to be used for supplying and operating electric buses under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model in multiple states across India in a phased manner.