Irizar buses

[lvmci]

From. National Bus Trader Magazine:
Irizar created its own company last year  Irizar USA LLC – which is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company is already well positioned to carry forward the distribution and aftersales support of the Irizar i6 motorcoach by recruiting the well-qualified team members that have been a part of the initial step of introducing the Irizar brand to the market.
Irizar USA will move forward with the marketing, sales and support of the Irizar i6 motorcoach, a 45-foot long integral luxury motorcoach, but a new phase will nowstart with renewed enthusiasm. Irizar is a world-class leading coach manufacturer with 130 years of experience with more than 3,500 employees, and Irizar USA is a 100 percent factory-owned distribution company. The establishment of Irizar USA is to show the firm commitment of the brand towards the U.S. market
The range of products in the current catalog includes the 45-foot i6 motorcoach, which comes in two height versions, the standard and the SuperCargo version offering best-in-class storage capacity. The Irizar i6 motorcoach has a Cummins 12-liter engine and Allison B500 driveline
The service network is still in the process of expansion. Irizar service provides personalized solutions designed and created to provide the best: financing, repair and maintenance contracts and pick-up of your used vehicle. Having an integral repair ­service, tune-ups and maintenance with the maximum guarantee 24 hours a day 365 days a year is still a value that cannot be beaten.
Customers are given close follow-up and advice that translate into optimization of vehicle reliability and availability. It includes integrated electronic management, Irizar connectivity, as well as fleet management solutions and remote diagnosis that result in a considerable reduction of consumption and emissions.

The spectacular design is one of the strengths of Irizar: the aerodynamics optimizes fuel consumption and confers prestige on its owners. At the same time, exceptional comfort for drivers, guides and passengers is offered guaranteeing an unforgettable experience.

Another Irizar maxim is the option for unlimited customization it offers to the market and to operators, which is undoubtedly a competitive advantage.

     I've already seen several Irizars on the strip, looks reminiscent of 1940/60s MCI & GM areo style fronts , lvmci...

[lostagain]

We are in Mexico now. They are common here, as in many other parts of the world. They face an uphill battle against Prevost and MCI in the North American market. But if they are indeed luxurious and well built, with good after sales support, the charter companies and the tour companies will embrace them. Prevost and MCI aren't perfect. I drive late models of both brands, and they still have flaws that haven't been addressed. It will be interesting to see how Irizar cars will be accepted by the industry. Remember a few years ago when ABC started bringing in VanHools and touting them as the bees knees. They never broke into the top two most desirable buses that are MCI and Prevost cars.

JC

[Jeremy]

There are lots of Irizars in the UK, usually on Scania chassis from what I have seen. They are built in Turkey I believe. Nice coaches for sure, but quite 'heavy' looking I've always thought - there are more subtle and stylish builders

Jeremy

[luvrbus]

This Irizar 3rd time around to try the American market they may get right this time but I have my doubts ,I read in bus magazine where Volvo dropped them as a body builder and went with another company and PO Irizar the Spaniards didn't like it much.The buy America for transit authorities is forcing manufactures to open plants here Vanhool just built a plant here the commuter bus is a big market that MCI rules       

[chessie4905]

https://www.metro-magazine.com/motorcoach/news/725497/one-year-later-irizar-i6-gains-in-u-s-market1

Well see. If they hold up well and the company is on top of customer service, they may have a bright future here. I would imagine they are very competitive due to lower labor costs.
I can see MCI closing shop in a few more years due to increased competition, if they keep losing market share, and they can't control production costs.

[blue_goose]

A friend of mine who has passed now had 6 of the Irizar buses.  They were on Sparten chassis and all six were different in some way.  He liked them but of course they are long gone.
Jack

[luvrbus]

MCI has a foot hold on the commuter bus market that not going away anytime soon,Irizar cannot sell to that market even Prevost gave it a shot and came up short and closed their plant in NY 

[chessie4905]

Yeah, GM had a foot hold....ONCE!

[lvmci]

I went to Irizar's office (shop?) not far from G&R and B&B's old shop, they have a big lot but looked mostly empty...

[buswarrior]

Yeah, GM had a foot hold....ONCE!

GM killed themselves off.

Basically no product development on the highway side after the late 60's, and, same as their autos, arrogantly thought no one could touch them on the transit side, even though the competitors were making ever increasing sales as each year passed...

Accountants vs engineers/product people, we all know how that worked out, and still see the impact today.

I'd like to see some competition, good for keeping everyone honest and working hard.

Virtual monopolies lead to laziness and silly ideas.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[chessie4905]

What about the RTS series? Also came the Buffalo series. Even so, things like labor costs in an old company will hurt compared with a new company with young workers, many years from guaranteed pensions.

[CrabbyMilton]

MCI and PREVOST still dominate and I can't see that changing anytime soon. MCI's J4500 is a fine solid coach and they are everywhere with much acceptance Same holds true with the PREVOST H and X models. Many of the early VAN-HOOL's over here had problems but the newer ones have improved. TEMSA and SETRA are also players that hold their own especially TEMSA with their 35' coaches. So with IRIZAR, time will tell if they will become a formidable competitor to the old guard or a disaster like BCI when they tried to make a dent in the market but their quality was horrible.

[luvrbus]

MCI is not going anywhere they are the only manufacture of commuter buses (not transit) that have a CNG engine or Hybird setup the D4500 CNG buses are popular in CA and are the only buses that have been Altoon tested for safety the other players have some catching up to do to enter that market   

[chessie4905]

Having hybrid and CNG coaches was much easier after transits developed and proved the application. If competitors use same driveline but can provide superior relialability and service, along with much lower cost to purchase...who knows? Hope it never happens. Problems with obtaining parts at a reasonable price and availability for for Our Eagles and GMC's is serious enough without MCI's going the same way.
Unintended or intended changes in regulations and laws have tripped up many businesses over the years.

[lvmci]

There's also the MCI/New Flyer overlay, they've revamped their entire parts system and the duplication of product lines seems to be low, compared to a lot of big company mergers and purchases...