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To keep-up with orders for coaches and shells a brand new 100,000 square-feet plant was
built in 1980 on a 10-acre land less than half a mile from the first plant. Simultaneously
Prevost began to invest heavily in R&D and new technology, putting together an
in-house team of automotive engineers, stylists and technicians that for over a decade
outnumbered that of the entire North American industry combined. The investment soon began
to pay off handsomely. When legislation availed in 1984, Prevost was ready and came out
with the first 102-inch widebody intercity coaches and conversion shells: The Marathon XL |
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the Le Mirage XL. |
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The new facilities were expanded two folds through 1988, the year Prevost brought a new
dimension to the bus world, to say the least. "The PREVOST articulated H5-60" |
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The PREVOST articulated H5-60 set the bus industry on its ear when it unveiled this
revolutionary transportation concept at the ABA annual meeting in Las Vegas.
Aside from its impressive dimensions, 60 feet long, 102 inches
wide and 12 feet hight, the first of the PREVOST H-series coaches represented (and
still do) a quantum leap in state-of-the-art technology. A feat only achievable by an
R&D team equipped with the latest CAD technology that allowed them to use finite
element analysis to determine the final configuration of each component, including
optimization of the body shape to minimize the air-drag, resulting in a fuel consumption
index comparable to that of most existing 40-foot coaches. |
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integral structure was comprised of a stainless steel upper framework with heavy gauge
low-alloy/high tensile subframe. |
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The revolutionary total-flushness outer shell made of precision-molded panels made of
fiber composite material reinforced with carbon fiber and Kevlar in critical areas.
The roofing consisted of a drag-free one-piece aluminum sheet
bonded to the structure. The air suspension featured wide-stance positioning of special
flared air bags and special antisway bars. The braking system featured oversize discs on
all 10 wheels controlled with a specially developed antilock braking system. The engine
was mounted on a slide-out cradle almost mid-coach for optimal weight balance and drive
wheel traction... |
Holland America put in an order for 14 PREVOST H5-60s to shuttle
its Alaska Cruise passengers between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon. |
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Voyageur Inc. (now Orleans Express) ordered 12 to serve on the Montreal-Quebec City route.
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premium intercity coaches was born: the PREVOST H-Series. |
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The unique CAD expertise acquired by its R&D team enabled PREVOST to follow suit with
three H-series models in less than a decade: |
| the H3-40, |
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| the H3-41 |
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| and the H3-45 |
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H3-45VIP conversion shell). |
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Each model standing-out from Job I with pretested innovations and refinements that would
have taken considerable longer to develop through conventional trial-and-error methods. |
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It is also because of its superlative engineering capabilities that PREVOST has held, for
more than 10 years now, the undisputed title of world-leading manufacturer of bus shells
for high-end motorhome and specialty conversion. |
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The Le Mirage XL shells |
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currently come in three
configurations: 40 and 45-foot shells for motorhome conversion and a longwheelbase
45-footer engineered especially for traveling entertainers. Again, PREVOST had read the
market right for within three years from introduction the Entertainer model outsold all
other entries combined and has gone on to hold the dominant share of that specialty
market. |
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Prevost's quest for the best has been exemplified when it received Canada's gold award for
training and employee relations in the early nineties. In March of 1995 the company was
jointly acquired by Volvo Bus Corporation (51%) and its long-time UK partner Henly's Group
pIc (49%). Following their acquisition of PREVOST CAR, the world's second largest bus
manufacturing conglomerate invested an additional 30 million for new equipment and
expansion of production and parts & service facilities. |
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the company became the first North American bus manufacturer to be granted ISO 9001
certification the most stringent world standard for management of quality manufacturing.
All five Prevost Parts & Service branches are now certified ISO 9002. More recently it
received certification to the ISO 14001 world standard for environmental protection. |
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| The work force
doubled to some 1,400 people and annual production jumped to 986 units in 1998. With the
pooling of those immense resources Prevost's engineers, stylists and technicians have
ready access to the most advanced engineering methods, materials and technology anywhere
in the world and their mission is to keep on developing new coach designs that will lead
the industry in proven performance and state-of-the-art technology well past the
twenty-first century mark. |
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