Krystal Bus
| Krystal Bus | |
| |
| Company Type | Private |
| Foundation | 1983 |
| Location | Imlay City, Michigan |
| Area Served | Canada & United States |
| Parent | Forest River Inc. |
| Industry | Bus manufacturing |
| Products | Luxury shuttle buses and conversion vans |
Krystal Bus was an American luxury cutaway bus manufacturer and van conversion company based in Imlay City, Michigan.
History
Krystal Bus was initially established in 1983 by Edward Grech as a stretch limousine manufacturer based in Anaheim, California under the name Krystal Koach Inc.[1][2] The 1990s marked a period of expansion for Krystal Koach as it introduced hearses to its product range in 1995 and shuttle buses the following year. In November 1997, Krystal relocated its headquarters and manufacturing operations to a new 135,000 square foot facility in the nearby city of Brea.[3][4]
By 1999, the company was operating under the Krystal Enterprises name to reflect its expanded range of products.[5] By January 2010, Krystal employed 800 and operated out of three facilities. Its product range now included motorhomes and security vehicles.[6] Bus production now took place at a facility in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.[7]
In December 2010, Krystal Enterprises filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[8] It was reorganized as Krystal Infinity LLC and emerged from bankruptcy in January 2011.[9] In October 2012, Thor Industries Inc.’s ElDorado National Kansas subsidiary purchased the bus operation assets of Krystal Infinity for $3.9 million.[10] The bus production line was subsequently relocated from Mexico to ElDorado's facilities in Salina, Kansas.[11] The remainder of Krystal Infinity would later be reconstituted and re-enter the bus industry as Riverside-based Grech Motors.[12] While the Brea facility was vacated, the Mexicali facility remained under Grech's ownership and currently facilitates production of its bus and motorhome product lines.[13][14]
In 2017, now operating as a subsidiary of the REV Group, Krystal Bus shifted its production to the Champion Bus site in Imlay City, Michigan and discontinued all legacy bus models built at the ElDorado site following the launch of the new KLX40 model.[15][16] A range of luxury conversion vans based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter was introduced the same year.[17]
Following the REV Group's 2020 sale of its shuttle bus assets to Forest River Inc., the Krystal brand was discontinued along with the Federal Coach, Goshen Coach, and World Trans brands.[18] Attempting to visit the Krystal website now results in a redirect to that of Champion Bus.
Facilities
Under the REV Group
- Address: 331 Graham Rd., Imlay City, MI 48444
- Email: krystalsales@krystalbus.com
- Phone: (810) 724-6474 or (866) 243-9180
As an independent manufacturer
- Headquarters and limousine manufacturing: 2701 E Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 92821, United States
- Bus manufacturing: Carr a San Felipe 389, El Dorado, 21383 Mexicali, B.C., Mexico
Products
Ford Econoline chassis
Ford F-Series (medium duty) chassis
Ford Super Duty chassis
Freightliner S2 chassis
General Motors GMT 560 chassis
IC Bus TC Series chassis
Other products
- Kx20 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van conversions
External Links
- www.krystalbus.com (redirects to www.championbus.com)
References
- ↑ KRYSTAL KOACH - COMPANY HISTORY, archived from the original on 12 April 1997
- ↑ New focus is Krystal clear, www.busride.com, retrieved on 2021-03-22
- ↑ New Line Is No Big Stretch : Automobiles: Anaheim’s Krystal Koach has expanded from making limos into the hearse business. The country’s aging demographics could mean boom times ahead., Los Angeles Times, retrieved on 2021-03-22
- ↑ KRYSTAL KOACH - PRESS RELEASE, archived from the original on 7 July 1997
- ↑ KRYSTAL KOACH - COMPANY HISTORY, archived from the original on 10 October 1999
- ↑ Krystal Enterprises - Limousine, Shuttle Bus, Hearse Manufacturer, archived from the original on 7 January 2010
- ↑ Krystal Koach is top of the line, www.busride.com, retrieved on 2021-03-24
- ↑ Krystal enters pre-arranged Chapter 11, will emerge with all-electric vehicles, www.metro-magazine.com, retrieved on 2021-03-22
- ↑ Krystal emerges from bankruptcy, www.metro-magazine.com, retrieved on 2021-03-22
- ↑ Thor buys Krystal bus assets for 3.9M, www.metro-magazine.com, retrieved on 2012-11-06
- ↑ Krystal Koach is top of the line, www.busride.com, retrieved on 2021-03-24
- ↑ The Industry's "Other" GM: Grech Motors, Chauffeur Driven Magazine, retrieved on 2021-03-22
- ↑ Grech Motors International, S.A. de C.V.
- ↑ KRYSTAL INTERNATIONAL, S.A. DE C.V.
- ↑ KRYSTAL BUS LAUNCHES NEW LUXURY BUS WEBSITE, REV Group, retrieved on 2021-03-22
- ↑ MANUFACTURER'S LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE KRYSTAL PRODUCT LINE MANUFACTURED BY CHAMPION BUS, Inc., REV Group, retrieved on 2021-07-06
- ↑ REV introduces the Krystal Sprinter, www.busride.com, retrieved 2021-03-22
- ↑ Helpful Tools | ElDorado - Legendary Reliability., www.eldorado-bus.com, retrieved 2021-03-22