![neplan cubatao neplan cubatao](https://resizedimgs.zapimoveis.com.br/crop/272x224/vr.images.sp/43fb0b33913bd3598d7a762ffa2b7b32.jpg)
The Starliner was introduced in 1996, and would go on to win the Bus of the Year award for two consecutive years – in 19. The United States plants were later spun off into a separate, and now defunct, independent company ( Neoplan USA) that used the Neoplan name under licence.įurther manufacturing facilities were opened during the 1990s and 2000s. Several more plants were added in the 1980s, including two in the United States. The vehicle also made use of glass-fibre reinforced plastic for certain areas of the body this was the first instance when this technique was used.Ī second manufacturing facility opened in Pilsting in 1973, and a third opened in Kumasi, Ghana in December 1974 to support increasing orders. This design had a passenger platform above the driver's cab, and included an onboard toilet. In 1971, the Cityliner was introduced to the public. The double-deck principle was applied to the coach design, creating a high-capacity comfortable touring vehicle. It also featured a low-frame front axle with forward-mounted steering gear that permitted a low, flat floor. The "Do-Bus" design had low weight, and could carry over 100 passengers. In 1964, the founder's second son, Konrad Auwärter, developed a double-deck bus design for a service bus as part of his dissertation.
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Albrecht took over management of the company in 1965, and Bob Lee later became head of Engineering and Design. īoth Albrecht and Lee joined Neoplan after graduating from the university. The design was the first bus to allow passengers to regulate their fresh air supply through a nozzle from two air ducts, commonly seen in contemporary designs, as well as offering air suspension. Developed by the founder's eldest son, Albrecht Auwärter, and another student, Swiss national Bob Lee, as part of their dissertation at Hamburg University. In 1961, a new bus design, the Typ Hamburg, was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. In 1957, air suspension was made available. By 1953, the company had moved away from manufacturing buses on truck chassis, to a partial monocoque design with a steel tube skeleton, providing the structural support, enhanced by welded side panels. The company was founded by Gottlob Auwärter in Stuttgart in 1935, and manufactured bodywork for bus and truck chassis.