By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Accept
routeonerouteonerouteone
  • News
    • Show all
    • Awards & Events
    • Deliveries
    • Environment
    • Exhibitor News
    • Euro Bus Expo 2024
    • Features
    • Legal
    • Minibus and minicoach
    • Operators
    • Opinion
    • People
    • Suppliers
    • Vehicles
  • Vehicles
    • Find a Vehicle
    • ZEV Comparison Tool
    • Sell a Vehicle
    • Vehicle Seller Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Events
    • British Tourism & Travel Show
    • Euro Bus Expo
    • Innovation Challenge
    • Livery Competition
    • routeone Awards
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Share your news
    • Subscribe
    • Update Subscription Details
  • Latest Issue
  • SIGN UP
Search
© 2024 routeone News. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Wrightbus back to coach with Contour diesel and hydrogen future
Share
Font ResizerAa
routeonerouteone
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Show all
    • Awards & Events
    • Deliveries
    • Environment
    • Exhibitor News
    • Euro Bus Expo 2024
    • Features
    • Legal
    • Minibus and minicoach
    • Operators
    • Opinion
    • People
    • Suppliers
    • Vehicles
  • Vehicles
    • Find a Vehicle
    • ZEV Comparison Tool
    • Sell a Vehicle
    • Vehicle Seller Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Events
    • British Tourism & Travel Show
    • Euro Bus Expo
    • Innovation Challenge
    • Livery Competition
    • routeone Awards
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Share your news
    • Subscribe
    • Update Subscription Details
  • Latest Issue
  • SIGN UP
Follow US
© 2024 routeone News | Powered by Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd
- Advertisement -
-
routeone > News > Wrightbus back to coach with Contour diesel and hydrogen future
News

Wrightbus back to coach with Contour diesel and hydrogen future

Alex Crawford
Alex Crawford
Published: March 5, 2025
Share
Wrightbus Contour diesel coach
SHARE

Wrightbus has announced details of its return to the coach sector with the launch of the Contour, a new diesel-powered two-axle model built in partnership with Chinese OEM King Long.

Contents
Contour name returns on Wrightbus diesel coach productHydrogen coach in development for 2026Coach renaissance comes at ‘the right time’ for Wrightbus

Alongside the Contour, the company has spoken in more detail of its plans to introduce a tri-axle integral hydrogen fuel cell-electric coach, due for debut in 2026.

Contour name returns on Wrightbus diesel coach product

Reviving the Contour name from the 1980s, Wrightbus has developed a 12.2m coach with 55 seats plus toilet. It is powered by the Cummins X11 Euro VI engine producing 400bhp, driven through a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox.

PSVAR compliant or PSVAR ready variants will be available to meet accessibility regulations, while left- and right-hand drive variants will be available. Luggage space is nine cubic metres, reducing to seven cubic metres with a passenger lift fitted.

With manufacturing handled by King Long in China, Wrightbus will conduct pre-delivery inspections before vehicles reach customers. The Contour’s “competitive price” and lead time of six months promises an edge over some current industry norms, the business says.

Aftersales backup will be provided through AllServiceOne, Wrightbus’s fleet support business, which boasts a UK and Ireland-wide network of over 70 mobile technicians. A two-year/200,000-mile warranty and a 12-year structural warranty are standard.

Wrightbus Contour diesel coach cab area
The Contour diesel coach from Wrightbus has a European-style cab area complete with a digital dash binnacle

Hydrogen coach in development for 2026

While revealing the Contour diesel, Wrightbus has also spoken publicly for the first time of its plans for a hydrogen fuel cell-electric Hydroliner coach.

That vehicle will be its first fully integral coach model, developed entirely in-house. The initial variant will be a 15m overdecker capable of accommodating 69 passengers on the upper deck and up to 15 passengers and two wheelchair users on the lower deck, with 10 cubic metres of luggage space. Wrightbus has not confirmed yet whether it will carry the Contour name, nor where the body will be built.

With a claimed range of up to 1,000km, the Hydroliner is intended to help to address the limited number of current zero-emission coach models for the long-distance scheduled market.

A single-deck version is being considered for later, while the coach’s modular construction will make it suited to a number of different drivetrain options, depending on demand.

Wrightbus Contour diesel coach
The diesel Contour in two-axle format will later be joined by a Hydroliner tri-axle hydrogen coach from Wrightbus

Coach renaissance comes at ‘the right time’ for Wrightbus

Wrightbus plans to showcase the Contour across the UK and Ireland with a demonstration tour beginning in the coming months. The first Hydroliner coach is expected to be built this year ahead of its 2026 debut.

Speaking of the company’s return to coach manufacturing, Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales had repeated previous comments that the move is a long-term plan to help address a paucity of vehicle supply. “When we heard there was no coach manufacturing in the UK, we said ‘that can’t be the case’,” he explains.

“We need to bring coaches back. We brought Dave Porter into our company, and this is not a one-off programme; this is a three- or four-year, long-term strategy to become a main player for the future.”

Commenting specifically on the decision to develop a hydrogen coach product, the Wrightbus chief adds: “This is our core DNA. We are a vehicle manufacturer. This is our 80th year, and our biggest unique selling point for the last five-10 years.

“We really believe we can put a world-class zero-emission powertrain into this coach at a time when the coach industry is struggling to decarbonise. We feel the timing of this couldn’t be better and we’re looking forward to launching this product properly in 2026.”

A full report will be available in the March issue of routeone, published on Wednesday 12 March.

TAGGED:CoachContourCumminsdieselhydrogenHydrolinerKing LongWrightbusZF
Share This Article
Facebook LinkedIn Threads Email Copy Link
ByAlex Crawford
Journalist, routeone
Previous Article Shaws Maxey Shaws of Maxey to close after more than 100 years
Next Article CMAC Group maintains Investor in Customers Gold accreditation CMAC Group maintains Investor in Customers Gold accreditation
- Advertisement -

Latest News

Go-Ahead London – Managing Director
Careers Jobs
andy burnham tfgm £15.6 billion (1) The funding announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today (4 June) has been allocated to several combined mayoral authorities to use on rail, tram, road and bus infrastructure. Transport for Greater Manchester revealed today that part of the £2.5 billion it will receive will go towards making the Bee Network fully battery-electric by 2030. An as-yet undecided portion of that will support a planned investment in 1,000 new zero-emission buses over that period, the mayoral authority said. That is part of plans to build the UK's "first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system", with trams and trains also set to benefit. Liverpool City Region's already announced BRT system is among the projects to which its £1.6 billion will be allocated. Under those plans - due for realisation by 2028 - a high-speed network will be served by articulated buses which are modelled on the 'Glider' in Belfast. It is due to link Liverpool city centre with John Lennon Airport, and Liverpool FC and Everton FC's respective stadia along three routes. Although the model of bus has not been confirmed, a Van Hool Exqui.City on loan from Belfast was last year used as a demonstrator. That 18m vehicle can accommodate around 30% more passengers than a typical bus and has three sets of double doors. The funding will also go towards buses elsewhere in the city as the region heads towards franchising services by 2027. Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram with a 'Glider' which was on loan from Belfast last year - an example of the sort of bus which could serve the new BRT Bus services in the East Midlands region will be boosted by the funding, thanks to the £2 billion handed to it today by the government. Some of that allocation will be used for a rapid transit network on the Trent Arc between Nottingham and Derby. Between the two cities, the Freeport, Infinity Park Investment Zone and Ratcliffe-on-Soar will also benefit from the improved bus services. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority's newly announced commitment towards bus franchising has been boosted by £350 million in funding as part of that region's allocation. The funding for West Yorkshire will help build new bus stations in Bradford and Wakefield. Likewise, the Tees Valley Mayoral Authority will put its sum towards a new £15 million bus station in Middlesbrough. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: "Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change. "For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off."
TfGM’s all-electric bus plan boosted by new £15.6 billion package
News
Local Transport Minister opens First Bus electric depot in Hengrove
Local Transport Minister opens First Bus electric depot in Hengrove
Bus
Contract pricing conundrum for coach and bus
Contract pricing conundrum: Unlikely to get easier any time soon
Editor's Comment
- Advertisement -
-

routeone magazine is the indispensable resource for professional UK coach, bus and minibus operators. The home of vehicle sales and the latest bus and coach job vacancies, routeone connects professional PCV operators with complete and unrivalled news coverage.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • GDPR Policy
  • Sustainability
  • Advertise
  • Latest Issue
  • Share Your News
routeonerouteone
Follow US
© 2024 routeone News | Powered by Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd