Production of the Volvo 9700 single-deck coach for markets in Europe including the UK and Ireland is set to restart in Mexico, the manufacturer has confirmed.
Such a step was first reported by Hungarian trade title magyargbusz.info on 13 December, with a Volvo spokesperson having since told routeone that a move of the B13R-based 9700 single-deck to Mexico will go ahead. It will see “a selection” of 9700 models produced in that location.
It and the super-high 9900 were previously bodied by Volvo at its plant in Poland, but that facility in Wroclaw has since closed as part of a concentration on chassis production by the Swedish manufacturer.
Volvo had planned to transfer bodybuilding operations for both models to Sunsundegui in Spain, but that subsequently fell through. Sources suggested that the investment required of Sunsundegui to body the 9700 single-deck and the 9900 coaches was too much for the Alsasua business to bear. It subsequently entered financial difficulties.
In Mexico, the 9700 will be built at the OEM’s Tultitlan plant north of Mexico City. The report from Hungary states that the first such coaches for Europe, including the UK, will arrive here in 2026.
The 9700 being in limbo had left Volvo without a B13R-based single-deck coach in the UK and Ireland. The manufacturer’s policy on body manufacture had been stated as moving to greater use of partners as part of its concentration on chassis production.
In reporting the new approach to continuing the 9700 single-deck, magyarbusz.info notes how a Volvo Buses spokesperson told it that the Tultitlan plant has the necessary expertise and technology to finish the coach to European specification. It already assembles the similar 9800 for the Mexican market, which is also built on the B13R chassis.
The spokesperson adds that the Mexico-built 9700 “is planned to be a premium coach with pre-defined specification.” The 9900 does not currently form part of future plans for Volvo, but the OEM adds that it will follow market and customer needs closely, “and continuously review our product plans based on that.”
The Volvo 9700DD double-deck coach is separate to the work to restart production of the single-deck 9700 model and continues to be bodied by Carrus in Finland.
