Prevost (bus manufacturer)

Prevost (/ˈpreɪvoʊ/, French pronunciation: [pʁevo]), formally known as Prevost Car, is a Canadian manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions. The company is a subsidiary of the Volvo Buses division of the Volvo Group.^[2]

Prevost

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1924
Headquarters	Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Key people	François Tremblay (president).[1]
Products	Coaches RV (Conversion Shells)
Parent	Volvo Buses (1995–present)
Website	prevostcar.com

History

Early years (1924–1969)

Place Eugène Prévost in Sainte-Claire

Prevost Car was founded in 1924 by Eugène Prévost (1898–1965), a cabinet maker specializing in church pews and school furniture, who in 1924 was asked to build a custom bus body for a new REO truck chassis. Les Ateliers Prévost, as the company was then called, received several repeat orders. Between 1937 and 1939, Prevost Car's first bus manufacturing plant was built. Initially the vehicles were built around a wooden frame. In 1945 this changed, and bodies were made of metal.

The company was acquired by Paul Normand in 1957. In 1969, two American businessmen formed a partnership with André Normand, then President of Prevost, to become the company's owners. These three men, in turn, sold Prevost to Volvo Bus Corporation in 1995.^[3]

Current era (2000–present)

For 2006, the XL-II was revised to become the X3-45. The H-Series received a new sound system, plus GPS and destination sign options.^{[citation needed]}

For the 2008 model year, Prevost introduced the Volvo D13 engine from their parent company as a replacement for the then-current Detroit Diesel Series 60 offering. The Volvo I-Shift semi-automatic transmission was introduced as an alternative to the Allison B500R transmission. A set of new interior color schemes was also introduced.

In 2009, Prevost became distributor of the Volvo 9700 coach in Canada and the United States.

Beginning in 2011, the Prevost X3-45 was made available in a transit-style configuration as a commuter coach. The New York City Transit Authority was the launch customer for this configuration. Previously, 20 transit-style buses in the LeMirage predecessor model had been built for GO Transit in the late 1990s.

In 2019, the X3-45 was redesigned, getting a new headlight setup and a new rear end. It continues to be available in intercity and transit configurations.

As of June 2019, Prevost operates 15 parts and service centers in North America, nine of them in the United States.^[4]

For the 2024 Model Year, the H3-45 was redesigned with a new front end and interior facelift.

Models

Current

Photo	Model	Production	Length(s)	Configuration(s)	Notes
H3-45 (3rd Generation)	H-Series[5] [user-generated source]	1985–present H3-40 (1989–1994) H3-41 (1994–unknown) H3-45 (1994–present) H5-60 (1985–1992)	H3-40: 40 feet H3-41: 41 feet H3-45: 45 feet H5-60: 60 feet	Intercity Coach	Also available as a conversion shell
X3-45 (2nd Generation)	X3-45	2005–present	45 feet	Intercity Coach Transit Coach	2nd generation model introduced in 2019 Also available as a conversion shell
Volvo 9700 (North American Model)	Volvo 9700[6] [user-generated source]	2009–present		Intercity Coach	Assembled in Mexico by Volvo

Former

• LeMirage Series: 40-45 ft motorcoach series produced from 1976–2005, replaced by X3-45
• 50-PI-33 passenger coach
• 19-S transit bus manufactured from 1961 to 1967
• 33-S 33 to 37 passenger motorcoach manufactured in the 1960s
• Champion 41 to 50 passenger intercity coach manufactured from 1967 to 1981
• Marathon 47 to 53 passenger intercity motorcoach
• Prestige 41 to 50 passenger sightseeing/passenger motor coach manufactured from 1968 to 1981
• Panoramique 41 to 49 passenger intercity motorcoach manufactured from the 1960s
• Le Normand intercity passenger coach manufactured from 1957 to 1960
• Prévocar intercity motorcoach manufactured in 1953
• Skycruiser motorcoach manufactured from 1948 to 1949
• V48-S motorcoach first manufactured in 1965
• Citadin 33 to 37 transit bus manufactured in the 1950s
• 1924 motorbus
• 1939 suburban motor coach

Then President Obama boards the "Ground Force One" bus in 2011.

Ground Force One

Main article: Ground Force One

Ground Force One is the nickname given to two heavily modified X3-45 VIP conversion coach owned by the United States Secret Service and used by the President of the United States and other high-ranking politicians or dignitaries.^[7] Prevost built the coach as a conversion shell, the Hemphill Brothers Coach Company fitted out the interiors of the coach, and it is assumed that other features, like armor plating, were added by the Secret Service.^[8]