Britain buys its 500th bus from Yutong Group

Zhengzhou Yutong Group, one of China's major bus and coach manufacturers, delivered its 500th bus to a customer in Leeds, the United Kingdom on Wednesday.

Jack Li, manager of the company's Western Europe operation, said: "The UK and France are our key markets. Demand for buses in the European market has been stable in recent years, and we have received large orders in Denmark and Finland this year."

He said the company will work to boost the rapid growth of the European market.

"There will be a high demand of new-energy buses in the future", he predicted.

David Sheriff, managing director of Nova Tour, the buyer of the 500th bus, said: "Yutong has left a very good impression on its UK users. It's cost-effective and our drivers indicated that the driving experience is also fabulous."

The latest order was the fourth Nova Tour had placed with Yutong.

John Welsh, owner of Welsh's Coaches, said: "We purchased our first Yutong bus in 2015 and had really good user experience. Then, we bought two more in 2018. Now, I've become a loyal customer of Yutong bus and I do trust the quality of its buses. Yutong has a good reputation in our industry and is widely acclaimed."

Richard Crump, managing director of Pelican Engineering Company, which represents Yutong in the UK, said: "While Yutong is one of the largest bus companies in China and Pelican is a British vehicle dealer with 100 years of history, we share the same concept; that customers come first. We believe that, with Yutong's high-quality products and our careful operation, we can achieve better results and serve the European customers better."

Since entering the UK market in 2013, Yutong has become the third-largest in terms of market share in the British tourist bus sector, after Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, according to the vehicle maker.

In order to better meet the needs of British clients, Yutong has launched several customized products since entering the market. The company unveiled a type of coach in 2014 to suit the narrow streets of many UK tourism cities and also complies with Europe's emissions standards. In 2018, the company developed its T-series high-end tour bus, which has proven popular in the UK market. The 500th bus delivered on Wednesday was part of the T-series, the T132HD.

Later this week, Yutong will take three bus models to the Busworld Europe expo in Brussels.

Headquartered in Zhengzhou, Henan province, Yutong delivered 63,526 buses or pieces of construction machinery last year. The company's turnover has now reached 48.5 billion yuan ($6.8 billion), up 1.5 percent year-on-year.

With a 15 percent share of the global market, Yutong has become one the world's major bus and coach suppliers and has exported around 60,000 vehicles to more than 30 countries and regions.