Plaxton has ceased production of the Cheetah XL midicoach. It has been built on the Mercedes-Benz Atego chassis.
The coachbuilder says it is now “exploring its options” for a replacement in the 35-seat sector. It adds that finding one is not an immediate priority.
It has ruled out the use of an adapted rear-Enviro200 bus chassis from parent company Alexander Dennis on the grounds that too much engineering work would be needed to make it suitable for a high-floor coach application.
“Two Cheetah XLs remain in stock, but no more will be produced,” says General Manager Coach Sales Simon Wood.
“Going forward we will concentrate on what we do best. Both our Leopard and Panther are best-sellers in their market sectors.”
The Plaxton Cheetah XL was intended as a replacement for the Mercedes-Benz Vario-based Cheetah but was unable to match its predecessor’s market-leading sales figures.
