Setra was present at this year’s United Motorcoach Association (UMA) Expo for buses and coaches in Orlando, Florida, (20‑23 January 2013) with an exclusively equipped touring coach from the “TopClass S 417″ range. The bus brand from Ulm in Southern Germany presented itself for the first time with its US variant of the European TopClass 400 on the stand of Motor Coach Industries International Inc. (MCI), Setra’s new sales partner.
The three-axle coach, manufactured in Neu-Ulm, Germany, provides the highest level of comfort for both the passengers and the driver with its space-saving 2+1 face-to-face seats, rear kitchen, glass roof and leather steering wheel. With the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), first demonstrated in 2012 and now standard in all Setra buses for the US market, the TopClass S 417 fulfils high standards in the realm of active safety whilst the environmentally friendly Mercedes-Benz OM 471 engine fulfils the criteria of the American EPA 10 emissions standard for nitrogen oxides and soot particles.
TopClass S 417 successful in North America for ten years
At the 2013 UMA Expo in Orlando, the brand returned to the place where the successful market launch of the TopClass S 417 had been celebrated exactly ten years ago. By the end of 2012, 1026 units of this luxury touring coach had been sold in the USA, Canada and Mexico. In 2010 the Daimler brand presented the facelifted variant, bringing the topic of safety to the forefront.
In 2011 the brand presented the Setra ComfortClass S 407, a classic touring coach designed according to North-American design philosophies, offering an attractive alternative in the business segment.
Till Oberwörder, Head of Marketing, Sales & Aftersales for Daimler Buses, is optimistic about the new sales structure as he looks to the future: “With this strategic partnership with MCI, Setra’s long tradition will be continued in North America and at the same time we will strengthen the regional presence of our TopClass S 417 and ComfortClass S 407 models.”
MCI takes over Setra sales and service in North America and Canada
The Canadian firm Motor Coach Industries International Inc. (MCI) is one of the leading touring coach manufacturers in the USA and Canada. The new partner of Daimler Buses, located in Schaumburg, Illinois, took over the exclusive rights for the sales and service of Setra in the United States and Canada in the middle of last year. All Setra touring coaches for the US market are still developed and manufactured in Germany.
