Carrosserie Hess

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HESS AG
Carrosserie HESS AG
Industry Automotive
Founded1882;142 years ago (1882)
FounderHeinrich Hess
Headquarters Bellach, Switzerland
Areas served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Alex Naef (CEO)
  • Ernst Basler (CFO)
Website hess-ag.ch

Carrosserie HESS AG is a bus, trolleybus and commercial vehicle manufacturer based in Bellach, Switzerland. Their products can be found operating in several countries, including the United States and Canada.

Contents

History

The company was founded in 1882, when Heinrich Hess set up business in Solothurn to build customised car bodies. The company first began building buses in 1919, and production reverted to aluminium products in 1933. It produced its first trolleybuses in 1940 for the Swiss cities of Basel and Biel/Bienne. In 1961, it commenced building of articulated vehicles, some of which were supplied to operators in the United States and Canada in 1975. The company soon began to expand, and businesses were set up in Portugal and Australia in 1957 and 1978 respectively. The U.S. business was set up in 1996. The company began production of low-floor buses and trolleybuses in 1991, and in 2003 built its first double-articulated trolleybuses.[ citation needed ]

Products

Buses

A Carrosserie Hess bus built on DAF chassis in Bucharest, Romania Bucharest HESS bus 1.jpg
A Carrosserie Hess bus built on DAF chassis in Bucharest, Romania

Trolleybuses

Hess Swisstrolley 3 of an old design in Lucerne Luzern Swisstrolley.jpg
Hess Swisstrolley 3 of an old design in Lucerne

Bus kits

As well as building complete vehicles, Hess also manufactures bus kits for its worldwide customers. These kits are imported and then assembled on reaching their destination.

Minibuses

Hess also builds smaller buses, mainly for the transportation of school children and persons with disabilities.

Commercial vehicles

Hess builds vehicles designed for commercial purposes, such as vans, some of which are fitted with tipper equipment, loading ramps and trailers.

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References

  1. "lighTram - Hess AG". www.hess-ag.ch. Retrieved 2023-12-22.