EVM further grew its small coach range in 2024 when it became UK distributor of Ferqui products. That came with the retirement of Steve Peach from former Ferqui importer Connaught PSV, and it complements EVM’s existing agreement for the Irish market.
Under EVM supply, the 8.5m Sunrise, built on the Iveco Daily, and the 8.1m Sunset, based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and a model that was for a long time known as the Soroco, remain largely as they were with Connaught, although some minor changes have been made. Addition of EVM’s trademark front spoiler to the Sunset is an example.
That aside, EVM sees both products as being well established and in no need of major alteration. Sales and Marketing Director Peter Flynn observes how they fit into EVM’s extensive existing range in the small PSV field and provide further options to its customers.
That the Sunset is coachbuilt is key, he adds. EVM already offers the Grand Tourer in that class, but it has an upper limit on numbers from builder Car-Bus. The Ferqui offering “is scalable,” Peter notes, and it gives opportunity for EVM to leverage demand for coachbuilt Sprinter products at the higher end of the market.
On the Daily, the Sunrise complements EVM’s Erener Revolution midi. The Revolution sits on an uprated 8,000kg chassis and is slightly larger than the Sunrise. The Ferqui holds a 7,200kg plating. It perhaps occupies a more middle-of-the-road position for such products than the Erener but has many higher-end elements. Like the Revolution, the Sunrise goes to 33 seats, although 29 with a larger boot is available.
Longstanding Ferqui strengths continue under EVM
Already well understood by EVM is how Ferqui products are well-built with excellent longevity, strong residuals, and buyer loyalty. “Customers come back to Ferqui – there is a lot of repeat business,” Peter observes, noting the manufacturer’s long lineage in the UK.
Key for the relationship with Ferqui is a commitment to certain numbers of vehicles by EVM. Area Sales Manager Matt Thompson says that stock “should never be far away” as a result. For the Sunrise, that involves 29- and 33-seat examples. The stock pipeline for the Sunset captures examples with 19 or 22 seats and the odd 16-seater with tables.
For the Sunset, the latter configuration and a coachbuilt nature means that it fits well into the VIP sphere. EVM has already received a highly specified 11-seat Sunset for such an application.
22 seats in a coachbuilt Sprinter is a further important offering, Matt adds. “That is a real strength of the Sunset,” he says. EVM offers 22 seats on its own Sprinter conversion range, but the coachbuilt approach introduces more luggage space. When the extent of seating capacities is considered, the Sunset delivers a comprehensive range of options in the coachbuilt field.
Three boot sizes are in play. The smallest sits alongside 22 seats and the largest accompanies a 16-seat layout with all positions facing forward. The mid-sized boot goes with 19 seats, or 16 when two tables are included. EVM believes that the model closely complements its other products on the Sprinter. In Ireland – where Ferqui supply came first for EVM – the Sunset has proved highly successful.
Sunset on Sprinter satisfies a variety of uses
A brief trip on a 16-seat VIP Sunset showed how the model fits nicely at that end of the market. Addition of the front spoiler gives an element of visual commonality with EVM’s other Sprinter products, although the distinctive Ferqui external styling remains dominant, including at the rear.
Internally, the tables and diamond stitched Sege seats combine with wood-effect flooring and a panoramic windscreen to create a highly pleasing interior ambience.
The Sprinter now uses the 1,950cc OM 654 engine. The 519 chassis is standard for the Sunset, which gives 190bhp from that four-cylinder unit. The evaluation vehicle has the 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox Remarkable is how little engine noise reaches the saloon. It is barely audible, and that contributes to a relaxing environment.
USB-A and USB-C charging points along with powerful air-conditioning further that feel. Legroom is extensive, and the positioning of back-to-back rows to accommodate the tables gives a large amount of room for luggage within the saloon if needed.
Ferqui Sunrise also shows versatility for EVM
For the Daily-based Sunrise, starting price is only around £5,000 above that for the Sunset, with EVM noting how the respective base vehicles are very close on what they cost. One of Ferqui’s strengths is in its lightweight construction, and that continues on the Sunrise.
Even when configured with 33 seats, the model keeps Iveco’s three-year chassis warranty from bumper to bumper. EVM Managing Director Danny McGee notes how that is an important consideration when looking to maximise passenger capacity on the Daily, although boot space is modest with 33 seats. It is greater with a 29-seat configuration.
As with the Sunset, USB-A and USB-C charging along with Sege seats in synthetic leather and with diamond stitching are fitted to a stock 29-seater. The Sunrise comes with OEM rear air suspension, while the 3,000cc F1C engine at 210bhp coupled to the eight-speed Hi-Matic automatic gearbox is also standard.
Internally, the Sunrise is as quiet as the Sunset. Legroom in the 29-seat example with the larger boot is adequate, while the overhead luggage racks and the passenger service units within them are shared across both models.
Ferqui range leverages existing EVM strengths
EVM’s small PSV portfolio has 10 brands and 27 models, extending from Sprinters at 3,500kg to the rear-engined AOS Visigo midicoach that can carry 37 passengers.
It is a complex range to manage, but EVM is investing strongly in sales and support; specialist recruitment is ongoing, and new premises in Billingshurst – now expected to open in 2026 – will give a big increase in space.
In 2024, EVM registered around 540 new vehicles in the UK and Ireland. Peter expects that number to approach 600 this year. He points out how addition of third-party brands to its core in-house production capabilities is key to meeting such a level of demand.
Beyond that, “it is very much about the customer experience for EVM now,” he says. “How do we ensure the vehicle specification is right, maximise residuals, and guarantee support? That is the focus, and we have the infrastructure and team to deliver on it.”
Iveco eDaily also within EVM range
A further part of EVM’s work with Ferqui relates to Composite Mobility products on the Iveco Daily range. Bodies are produced in kit form by EVM in Ireland and then shipped to Ferqui for assembly.
One of those uses the eDaily base. The chassis is purchased in battery-electric OEM form from Iveco. Zero-emission is seen as the natural trajectory for the Composite Mobility line-up, which is primarily marketed at local authorities.
A demonstrator on the eDaily has 29 Sege coach seats. It is not accessible, although Peter believes that most vehicles in this class will be via a rear lift. Up to eight wheelchair users can then be carried; GWV is 7,200kg with an unladen weight of 4,400kg.
Notably, Peter advises that if demand exists, the Ferqui Sunrise midicoach could be built on an eDaily. EVM recently delivered its first battery-electric Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minicoach conversion to Maynes of Buckie, purchase of which was supported by Scottish Government funding.
“There is no push for an electric Sunrise, and there would be a compromise on the seating capacity, but we could build one,” he says. In Composite Mobility form, the eDaily is viewed by some local authorities as particularly beneficial where SEND children are carried thanks to its quieter travelling environment.
