Volvo B12

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Volvo B12

FKU-750, Volvo B12-600 - Drogmoller Euro Comet E 330 H . TAMAS-BUSZ, Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary. - Flickr - sludgegulper.jpg

Drögmöller-bodied Volvo B12-600 in Hungary.
Overview
Manufacturer Volvo
Production 1991-2001 (-2011)
Assembly Sweden
Brazil
Body and chassis
Class Coach chassis
Floor type Step entrance
Powertrain
Engine 12.0/12.1-litre rear-mounted I-6
Volvo TD122, TD123, D12A [1]
Brazil: TD122, D12D [2]
Chronology
Successor Volvo B12B
Volvo B11R (Brazil)

The Volvo B12, also known as the Volvo B12R, was a rear-engined heavy-duty coach chassis manufactured by Volvo in Sweden between 1991 and 2001, and in Brazil between 1997 and 2011.

Rear-engine design

In automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an imbalance of such proportions would make it impossible to keep the front wheels on the ground.

The Volvo Group is a Swedish multinational manufacturing company headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of trucks, buses and construction equipment, Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems and financial services. In 2016, it was the world's second largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks.

Sweden constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe

Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north and Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund, a strait at the Swedish-Danish border. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe, the third-largest country in the European Union and the fifth largest country in Europe by area. Sweden has a total population of 10.2 million of which 2.5 million has a foreign background. It has a low population density of 22 inhabitants per square kilometre (57/sq mi). The highest concentration is in the southern half of the country.

Contents

History

The B12 was Volvo's first large coach chassis with a vertically mounted engine, which limited the available body models that would fit. It was first fitted with the 12.0-litre TD122/TD123, which in 1995 was replaced by the 12.1-litre D12A. Because of the engine height it was probably less popular than the lower B10B, but it was Volvo's only rear-engined coach chassis that was offered as a tri-axle. The only other option for a tri-axle coach was the mid-engined B10M, and not all customers wanted to have the engine "where the luggage was supposed to be". It was succeeded in 2001 by the B12B, which had the same engine but in a horizontally mounted version.

Volvo B10B bus chassis from Volvo, VIN code R1

The Volvo B10B was a rear-engined step deck single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1992 and 2001. The first prototype were built in 1990, but the B10B wasn't launched until the 1992 Geneva Motor Show. It superseded the Leyland Lynx and Volvo B10R. For stage use it was gradually succeeded by the low-entry B10BLE, which was introduced only a year later, though not in all markets. For interurban use the B7R came as a gradual replacement in 1998, and ultimately for coach work, the B12B took over in 2001.

Volvo B10M mid-engined bus and coach chassis from Volvo, VIN code 1M

The Volvo B10M is a mid-engined city bus and coach chassis manufactured by the Swedish automaker Volvo between 1978 and 2003. It succeeded the B58 and was equipped with the same 9.6-litre horizontally mounted Volvo diesel engine mounted under the floor behind the front axle. An articulated version under the model name Volvo B10MA was also offered, as was a semi-integral version known as the C10M, with the engine in the middle of the chassis.

Volvo B12B bus and coach chassis from Volvo, VIN code R8

The Volvo B12B was a rear-engined coach and intercity bus chassis built by Volvo. It is built as a direct replacement of Volvo B12 in the European market and the Volvo B10B.

Like with the B6 (B6R) and the B6LE (B6RLE), the B12 was marketed as the Volvo B12R in Australia. They were of the standard version built in Sweden, and not related to the far more known B12R built in Brazil between 2003 and 2011.

Volvo B6 midibus chassis from Volvo, VIN code R3

The Volvo B6 was a 5.5-litre engined midibus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 1999. It was also available as the low-entry Volvo B6LE.

After Volvo had acquired Drögmöller in 1994, they changed production there from building complete chassis-less coaches to building on Volvo chassis, and the obvious choice was the B12. Out of all the different models Drögmöller had, only two went on to become Volvo models from 1995. The E320 EuroPullman became Volvo B12-500 and the E330H EuroComet became Volvo B12-600. They were only available in standard 12-metre length. Later the B12-600 became the basis for the 9900.

Drögmöller former bus and coach manufacturer in Heilbronn, Germany

Drögmöller was a motor coach manufacturer based in Heilbronn, Germany. The company operated between 1920 and 2005 and was known for the production of touring coaches.

Volvo 9900 coach model from Volvo with theatrical floor

The Volvo 9900 is a coach introduced by Volvo in 2001, best known for its theatrical floor. The first generation was built by Drögmöller in Heilbronn, Germany between 2001 and 2005. The second generation was introduced in 2007 as a member of the Volvo 9700 family and has since then been built at Volvo Polska Sp. z o.o. in Wrocław, Poland. The third generation was introduced in 2013.

Volvo B12B and B12R (Brazil)

Itapemirim Busscar Vissta Buss Elegance 360-bodied B12R 6x2 in Brazil Busscar Vissta Buss Elegance 360.jpg
Itapemirim Busscar Vissta Buss Elegance 360-bodied B12R 6x2 in Brazil

The production of the B12 in Sweden ended in 2001 in favour of the B12B, but at Volvo's plant in Curitiba, Brazil, the chassis was also available later. After first being imported from Sweden, the Brazilian-made B12 was launched in 1997 as the B12B, [3] not to be confused with the European B12B launched four years later, and was built until 2001. It was then replaced by the B10R with a vertical engine, [2] also as a tri-axle, between 2000 and 2003. This should again not be confused with the original B10R with a horizontally mounted engine. In 2003 the B12 was relaunched as the B12R with a newer version of the 12.1-litre engine. [4] In 2010 it was launched in a quad-axle [5] version for the largest double-deckers. The production ended in 2011, with the B11R taking over in 2012 under the names of B380R, B420R and B450R, depending on the power output.

Curitiba Municipality in South, Brazil

Curitiba is the capital and largest city in the Brazilian state of Paraná. The city's population was 1,879,355 as of 2015, making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area comprises 26 municipalities with a total population of over 3.2 million, making it the seventh most populous metropolitan area in the country.

Volvo B10R bus chassis from Volvo, VIN code 1R

The Volvo B10R was a rear-engined bus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1978 and 1992. It was as its predecessor, the B59, aimed as a citybus chassis, and was succeeded by the more versatile B10B in 1992.

Volvo B11R Volvo BXXR, 10.8-litre engine version

The Volvo B11R is a 10.8-litre engined coach chassis available as both two- and tri-axle from Volvo since 2011. It was introduced as the second of the Volvo BXXR series, replacing the rest of the B12B range in 2011, and later its fellow BXXR platform model, the B13R in 2013.

Engines

Sweden

TD122, 11 978 cc, in-line 6 cyl. turbodiesel (1991-?)

Cubic centimetre unit of volume

A cubic centimetre is a commonly used unit of volume that extends the derived SI-unit cubic metre, and corresponds to the volume of a cube that measures 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm. One cubic centimetre corresponds to a volume of 1/1,000,000 of a cubic metre, or 1/1,000 of a litre, or one millilitre; thus, 1 cm3 ≡ 1 mL. The mass of one cubic centimetre of water at 3.98 °C is closely equal to one gram. SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of any abbreviations for units. Hence cm3 is preferred to cc or ccm.

TD123, 11 978 cc, in-line 6 cyl. turbodiesel (1992-1995)

D12A, 12 130 cc, in-line 6 cyl. turbodiesel (1995-2001)

Brazil

TD122, 11 978 cc, in-line 6 cyl. turbodiesel (1996-2001) [2]

D12D, 12 130 cc, in-line 6 cyl. turbodiesel (2003-2011)

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References

  1. ↑ Commercial catalogue - Applications Letrika
  2. 1 2 3 Valores de emissão de fumaça e ruído em ônibus Volvo Buses Brasil
  3. ↑ História - Anos 90 Grupo Volvo no Brasil
  4. ↑ Volvo B12R 6x2 technical specs Volvo Buses Brasil
  5. ↑ Volvo B12R 6x2/8x2 - Ficha Técnica Volvo Buses Brasil
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