Setra Delivers 5000th Touring Coach in the TopClass 400 and ComfortClass 400 Series

5000th touring coach is a Sweden-bound S 416 HDH model with a glass roof

14 touring coach models covering an extremely wide range of applications

Ulm - March 13, 2006: Setra handed over the 5000th touring coach in the TopClass 400 and ComfortClass 400 series to Kent and Ulla Jonsson, the proprietors of the Swedish company "Stigen Buss AB", on March 7, 2006. Some 3500 Setra TopClass 400 models have been sold since the premium series was launched in 2001, while around 1500 ComfortClass 400 models have been delivered to customers since production of the economical touring coach series began in 2003.

Setra brand spokesman Werner Staib: "With a total of 14 models to choose from, we offer our customers the ideal, customised touring coach for an extremely wide range of applications and market requirements. Our success shows that, when it comes to supplying attractive, sophisticated, high-performance vehicles, we fully meet our customers' expectations."

The best-selling model in the TopClass 400 series, with over 900 vehicle sales to date, is the two-axle S 415 HD touring coach which is heavily in demand in Germany and, above all, in Italy, France and Austria. Another model which has enjoyed extraordinary success is the three-axle S 417 HDH, which has chalked up around 600 sales in Germany and is also a big seller in Turkey. The most successful models in the ComfortClass 400 series are the two-axle S 415 GT-HD with around 600 units sold and the three-axle S 416 GT-HD with around 300 sales. German bus and coach operators in particular are impressed by these two models. Since their market launch, the TopClass 400 and ComfortClass 400 vehicles have become the benchmark in terms of safety and comfort. The latest safety features to be incorporated are the proximity control system introduced in 2005 and the Lane Assistant system which will be available as special equipment from mid-2006.

5000th touring coach is a Sweden-bound S 416 HDH model with a glass roof

The new S 416 HDH features a glass roof and is equipped with a proximity control system. On-board comfort is provided by the standard-fit Setra TopAir air-conditioning system as well as a galley, a radio system with a CD/DVD changer and 50 comfortable sleeper seats. Setra supplies around 80 vehicles to Sweden every year, three quarters of which are touring coaches. Wolfgang Frommer, the new Setra brand spokesman for Sweden, attended the hand-over in Ulm: "I am looking forward to representing a brand as steeped in tradition as Setra in Sweden – a country in which we have had loyal and knowledgeable customers for many years. Stigen Buss, a company we have been dealing for over 20 years, is a prime example of this."

14 touring coach models for an extremely wide range of applications

Following the market launch in 2001, the TopClass 400 series was augmented by its flagship model – the S 431 DT double-decker – in 2003. Not long afterwards, the series was rounded off by the S 415 HD right-hand drive version and the S 417 USA model. In total the series comprises eight models ranging from the compact S 411 HD Clubbus to the two- and three-axle S 415 HD - S 417 HDH touring coaches and the S 431 DT double-decker. The ComfortClass 400 line-up features four models of different lengths, from the S 415 GT to the S 417 GT-HD, which were joined by the S 415 GT-HD and S 416 GT-HD right-hand drive versions in 2005.