2020 MARKET ANALYSIS
Volvo and Mercedes-Benz continued to dominate the greatly depleted coach market, with each supplying more than a quarter of the vehicles delivered.
For the first time since 2017, Volvo came out on top, boosted by a large Stagecoach order for B11RLE double-deckers originally intended for the Oxford Tube express service; a reduction in demand for the Tube service meant that the last ten of these were delivered this year for Scottish Citylink work. Mercedes-Benz was hit by the collapse of Shearings/National Holidays which in recent years was its largest customer for the Tourismo.
Volvo’s sales were dominated by its more powerful and expensive B11R range which outnumbered the cheaper B8R by four to one; in 2019, sales of the two models were almost equal.
This was caused in part by the growth in sales of the B11RLE double-decker which reached 46. Stagecoach purchased 28 of them, eight for Scottish Citylink and 20 for the Oxford Tube, while Park’s of Hamilton bought 16 for Citylink services. Volvo also supplied National Express contractors with 14 tri-axle B11R single-deckers with Caetano Levante III bodies.
