Prevost Car
Encyclopedia
Prevost is a Quebec
, Canada
-based manufacturer of touring coaches
and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.
The company now owns Nova Bus
and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation
.
truck chassis. Les Ateliers Prévost, as the company was then called, received several repeat orders. Between 1937-1939 Provost Car's first bus manufacturing plant was built. Initially the vehicles were built around a wooden frame but in 1945 this was changed so that the bodies were all made of metal.
The company was acquired by Paul Normand in 1957. In 1969, two American businessmen, Thomas Harbison and William Campbell, 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.
The company now (February 2007) has 1,337 employees and operates six parts and service centers located across North America.
The latest models saw the XLII thoroughly revised, now with a longer wheelbase to provide more storage and a smoother ride. This, along with many other changes, marked the beginning of the new X3-45.
The flagship H3-45 received some further enhancements in 2006 with GPS and a destination sign made an option. As well as this, the new Delta sound system was also developed to provide improved sound throughout the cabin.
For the new EPA 2007 Standards, Prevost now offers an innovative installation of the Diesel Particulate Filter and the Rooftop Diffuser for Increased Safety, Performance, Serviceability and Security. The standard Detroit Diesel has been uprated from 12.7 litres to 14 litres for the model year 2007.
For the 2008 model year, Prevost introduced a new Volvo D13 engine from their parent company as a replacement for the then-current Detroit Diesel Series 60 offering. The Volvo I-Shift semiautomatic transmission was introduced as an option to the Allison B500R transmission. A set of new interior colour schemes were also developed for the 2008 model year to provide a modern feel to the interior. There are three "trim levels" ranging from fabric to leather and wood.
Beginning with 2011, the Prevost X3-45 is available in a transit configuration, with bi-fold doors instead of a sedan-type door. The New York City Transit Authority
is 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.
Prevost is also the North American builder of the Volvo 9700 motorcoach.
. The interiors were fitted out by Tennessee-based Hemphill Brothers Coach Company and it is assumed that other custom features were added by the US Secret Service. A similar bus with a Prevost shell (when the model was known as the LeMirage XL-II) was used by then-President George W. Bush in the 2004 campaign.
Bus shells:
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-based manufacturer of touring coaches
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.
The company now owns Nova Bus
Nova Bus
Nova Bus is a Canadian bus manufacturer in North America, owned by Volvo Buses, and headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada.- History :The factory was originally a General Motors plant for building city transit buses intended for the Canadian market...
and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation
Volvo Buses
Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....
.
History
The company was first founded in 1924 by Eugène Prevost (1899–1965), a cabinet maker specializing in the production of church pews and school furniture, who in 1924 was asked to build a custom bus body for a brand new REOREO Motor Car Company
The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan based company that produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.REO was initiated by Ransom E. Olds during August 1904...
truck chassis. Les Ateliers Prévost, as the company was then called, received several repeat orders. Between 1937-1939 Provost Car's first bus manufacturing plant was built. Initially the vehicles were built around a wooden frame but in 1945 this was changed so that the bodies were all made of metal.
The company was acquired by Paul Normand in 1957. In 1969, two American businessmen, Thomas Harbison and William Campbell, 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.
The company now (February 2007) has 1,337 employees and operates six parts and service centers located across North America.
The latest models saw the XLII thoroughly revised, now with a longer wheelbase to provide more storage and a smoother ride. This, along with many other changes, marked the beginning of the new X3-45.
The flagship H3-45 received some further enhancements in 2006 with GPS and a destination sign made an option. As well as this, the new Delta sound system was also developed to provide improved sound throughout the cabin.
For the new EPA 2007 Standards, Prevost now offers an innovative installation of the Diesel Particulate Filter and the Rooftop Diffuser for Increased Safety, Performance, Serviceability and Security. The standard Detroit Diesel has been uprated from 12.7 litres to 14 litres for the model year 2007.
For the 2008 model year, Prevost introduced a new Volvo D13 engine from their parent company as a replacement for the then-current Detroit Diesel Series 60 offering. The Volvo I-Shift semiautomatic transmission was introduced as an option to the Allison B500R transmission. A set of new interior colour schemes were also developed for the 2008 model year to provide a modern feel to the interior. There are three "trim levels" ranging from fabric to leather and wood.
Beginning with 2011, the Prevost X3-45 is available in a transit configuration, with bi-fold doors instead of a sedan-type door. The New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
is the launch customer for this configuration; previously, 20 transit-style buses in the LeMirage predecessor model had been built for GO Transit
GO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
in the late 1990s.
Prevost is also the North American builder of the Volvo 9700 motorcoach.
Ground Force One
"Ground Force One" is the nickname given to the custom modified X3-45 shells used by US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. The interiors were fitted out by Tennessee-based Hemphill Brothers Coach Company and it is assumed that other custom features were added by the US Secret Service. A similar bus with a Prevost shell (when the model was known as the LeMirage XL-II) was used by then-President George W. Bush in the 2004 campaign.
Current products
Passenger coaches:- H3-Series (available in 41' and 45' length's)
- X3-45
- Volvo 9700
Bus shells:
- H3-45 VIP
- XLII-Series
- XLII Entertainer
Former products
- H5-60 passenger coach
- H3-40 passenger coach
- XLII (now known as the X3-45)
- XL40 Le Mirage XL passenger coach
- 50-PI-33
- Champion
- Marathon
- Prestige