Prevost Car
| Prevost | |
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|---|---|
| Founded: 1924 | |
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Prévost Car, better known as just Prevost (pronounced pray-voh), is a North American motorcoach manufacturer. It is owned by Volvo Buses, a division of Volvo Group, and has its corporate headquarters and major manufacturing facilities in Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada.
History
Prevost's history goes back to 1924 when cabinet maker Eugene Prévost created his first wooden coach body. This coach body was built on a REO truck chassis.[1]
Early buses used an all-wood body and frame. This was later changed to a metal body on a wooden frame. In 1945, Prevost produced their first all-metal body over an all-metal frame. The company became known as Les Ateliers Prevost in 1947, and as bus production increased, Prevost gradually phased out cabinet work and completely focused on motorcoach production by 1957.[2]
Industrialist Paul Normand acquired the company and renamed it Prevost Car Inc. in 1957. They focused on developing more reliable and comfortable motorcoaches. Their new product, the Le Normand, made its debut in 1957.[3]
Prevost entered the United States market with dealership in New Jersey which opened in 1967. This was soon followed by one Los Angeles. In, 1968 two American businessmen, Thomas B. Harbison and William G. Campbell partnership with then Prevost president André Normand, and became the company’s sole owners in 1969.[4]
Prevost produced North American's first 102 inch wide motorcoaches in 1984, and in 1985, produced North America's first the articulated motorcoach the Prevost H5-60. The development of the H5-60 lead to the introduction of Prevost's H-Series motorcoach in 1989.[5]
In 1995, Prevost was acquired by Volvo Bus Corporation and Henlys Group plc. Prevost received ISO 9001 certification covering their manufacturing and design operations in 1997. The following year, they received ISO 14001 certification for environmental management systems related to manufacturing and design operations.[6] Prevost acquired transit bus manufacturer Nova Bus in 1998, and in 2004, Volvo became the sole owners of Prevost and Nova Bus.[7]
In early 2008, the Volvo D13 engine was made an option for Prevost coaches as Detroit Diesel announced that it would no longer sell its engines to companies outside of the Daimler family starting in 2010. The first production Volvo powered X3-45 models were built for Wilson Bus Lines of Templeton, Massachusetts. In December 2008, Prevost announced that they will sell Volvo's 9700 coach in North America. It formally made its debut at the 2009 United Mtorcoach Association Expo in Florida. [8]
By March 2020 as COVID-19 spread to Canada and the United States, Prevost began to take precautions at their manufacturing and sales facilities. Visitor numbers were restricted, more business was conducted remotely, and increased cleaning and sanitizing took place.[9] Prevost also extended warranties on coaches that were parked due to the unfolding pandemic. As part of a number of measures taken by the Quebec Government, all non-essential businesses in Quebec were closed as of March 24, 2020. Prevost’s Quebec-based operations were idled. Prevost's service centers and the aftermarket parts distribution warehouses were declared essential in various jurisdictions and remained open with many safety protocols in place.[10]
In May 2020, Prevost launched their CLEAN + CARE Program. This included free online training, remote contact, contact free delivery, and COVID-19 related safety measures for coaches. Prevost made the following available for operator: driver barriers, passenger information decals, distancing decals, air purifier systems, fans in roof hatches, hand sanitizer dispensers, electrostatic spraying systems, filtration systems, masks, passenger partitions, and headrest covers.[11]
Prevost reopened their factory in Quebec on June 1, 2020. They were able to bring back about half of the laid-off workers.[12]
Prevost announced the discontinuation of operations at their Plattsburgh, New York assembly plant after completing a run of X3-45 commuter coaches for New York City MTA. The Prevost assembly lines will be used by Nova Bus going forward, with Nova Bus citing the need for more electric bus manufacturing capacity. [13]
Facilities
- Sainte-Claire, QC (35 Blvd. Gagnon, Sainte-Claire, QC) - Headquarters and bus assembly
Parts and service centers
- Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (15200 Frye Rd., Fort Worth, TX)
- Jacksonville, FL (6931 Business Park Blvd., North Jacksonville, FL)
- Mira Loma, CA (3384 De Forest Circle, Mira Loma, CA)
- Nashville/Whites Creek, TN (529 Hickory Hills Blvd., Whites Creek, TN)
- Quebec City, QC (850 ch. Olivier, Saint-Nicolas, QC)
- South Plainfield, NJ (201 South Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ)
Current products
Discontinued products
| Model | Type | Introduced | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19-S | city/transit | 1961 | 1967 | |
| 24-S | city/transit | 1961 | 1961 | |
| 29-S | city/transit | 1961 | 1961 | |
| 31-S | city/transit | 1962 | 1967 | |
| 32-S | city/transit | 1963 | 1963 | |
| 33-S | city/transit | 1961 | 1962 | |
| 35-S | city/transit | 1962 | 1962 | |
| 41-S | city/transit | 1962 | 1967 | |
| 45-S | city/transit | 1962 | 1966 | |
| 47-S | city/transit | 1967 | 1967 | |
| V48-S | city/transit | 1965 | 1965 | manual-transmission bus for Vancouver |
| 49-S | city/transit | 1962 | 1967 | |
| 73-S | city/transit | 1961 | 1961 | school bus |
| Champion | highway coach | 1967 | 1981 | |
| Citadin | highway coach | |||
| Interurban | highway coach | similar to a Flxible Clipper (PI models) | ||
| LeMirage Series | highway coach | 1976 | 2006 | XL, XL-40, XL-45, XL-II |
| LeNormand | highway coach | 1957 | 1960 | |
| Marathon | highway coach | 1983 | 19?? | |
| Panoramique | highway coach | 1961 | 1963 | |
| Prestige | highway coach | 1968 | 1981 | |
| Prevocar | highway coach | 1953 | 1953 | |
| Skycruiser | highway coach | 1948 | 1949 | |
| I-21 | highway coach | 1968 | 1968 | |
| I-41 | highway coach | 1968 | 1968 | |
| I-47 | highway coach | 1967 | 1967 | |
| I-49 | highway coach | 1967 | 1967 | |
| T-47 | highway coach | 1967 | 1968 | |
| T-49 | highway coach | 1967 | 1969 | |
| H3-40 | highway coach | 1990 | 1994 | |
| H5-60 | highway coach | 1988 | 1992 |
References
- ↑ Prevost Car Heritage - 1920s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ Prevost Car heritage - 1940s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ Prevost Car heritage - 1950s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ Prevost Car heritage - 1960s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ Prevost Car heritage - 1980s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ Prevost Car heritage - 1990s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ Prevost Car heritage - 2000s. prevostcar.com (archived). Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
- ↑ http://www.busride.com/article.asp?IndexID=1085, busride.com, retrieved on 2008-12-21
- ↑ “COVID-19 Update for our Customers.” Press release. Prevost Car, 18 March 2020.
- ↑ ”Message Regarding Temporary Closures During COVID-19 Crisis.” Press release. Prevost Car, 24 March 2020.
- ↑ “PREVOST CLEAN + CARE PROGRAM OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR OPERATORS.” Press release. Prevost Car, 12 May 2020.
- ↑ Matter, Hal. "Prevost reopens Canadian plant, prepares for return of motorcoach travel." Bus & Motorcoach News, 05 June 2020.
- ↑ Prevost to cease Plattsburgh operations, Press-Republican, 19 April 2022.