Today the new Setra S 531 DT double-decker coach is set to make its world premiere at the Fernsehturm Stuttgart (Stuttgart TV tower). With over 2300 units sold since its launch in 2003, the predceding model is the clear market leader in the double-decker coach segment. Customers include many long-haul bus operators: according to our own surveys, around three quarters of double-deckers operating long-haul routes are Setras. Just under 15 years on from its launch, the two-decker luxury touring coach has received a facelift.
“The Setra double-decker is the biggest and most comfortable touring coach from Daimler Buses and the clear market leader in its segment. No other coach is as fuel-efficient, flexible and safe as the new two-decker premium touring coach from our EvoBus plant in Neu-Ulm. It demonstrates yet again the technological expertise and ingenuity that make Daimler Buses such a success worldwide. I am certain that our new double decker will build directly on the success of its predecessor,” stated Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses.
Due to its improved aerodynamics, the new double-decker consumes up to ten percent less fuel than its predecessor. This is equivalent to several thousand litres of diesel a year, depending on the mileage covered. In terms of safety and assistance systems, the Setra double-decker coach sets new standards. It is the world’s first bus to be fitted with an emergency brake system with obstacle and pedestrian recognition – and Sideguard Assist for the blind spot. A high-performance media router on board allows fast WiFi and offline use of media services.
Premium-class touring coach: manufactured at the EvoBus plant in Neu-Ulm
Double-decker coaches are impressive and technically highly complex vehicles and are often referred to as the premium class of touring coaches. The new premium-class model from the Setra brand is manufactured at the EvoBus plant in Neu-Ulm. More than 200 units were handed over to customers in 2016 alone. On average one Setra double-decker coach rolls off the production line in Neu-Ulm every working day. The highly qualified team cater explicitly to the enormous complexity and range of the customers’ special requests for each bus. The demands when it comes to double-decker coaches are particularly diverse, covering a vast spectrum of applications – � � � � long-haul travel, long-distance and inter-city services, excursions and tour buses. The new S 531 DT covers all of these applications with just one model.
The EvoBus plant in Neu-Ulm is Daimler Buses’ competence centre for touring coaches. The company is continuously investing in the development of new products and in its locations. Between 2013 and 2017, over 50 million euros were invested in the Neu-Ulm plant alone. Daimler Buses has invested a total of around 400 million euros in the development and production of the new-generation touring coaches.
The Setra double-decker coach: perfect for busy long-haul routes
In recent years the touring coach sector has experienced highly positive developments, not least thanks to the continuing long-haul bus boom, with over 25 million passengers a year in Germany alone and an ever-expanding route network in Europe. Further growth is forecasted for 2017. A slight increase to over 26 million passengers is expected – with a two percent increase on German routes and an increase of up to seven percent on international routes. In Germany the route network is already well developed, with particularly high capacity utilisation on main routes between larger cities. With over 80 seats, the new Setra double-decker coach is the biggest touring coach from Daimler Buses, making it ideal for busy long-haul bus routes. Nowhere more passengers can be transported by just one driver than in a double-decker coach. Young people in particular tend to see the touring coach from a whole new perspective. Reasons include the high level of comfort and the cutting-edge internet and media services on board. In 2016 over 60 percent of Setra double-decker coaches were sold in Germany, France, Italy and Austria.
About the long-haul bus market
In 2016 long-haul buses in Germany carried a total of around 25.3 million passengers in Germany. 16.6 million of these passengers travelled on domestic routes, up around four percent compared to the previous year, and 8.7 million on international routes, an impressive increase of around 20 percent. Daimler Buses holds a market share of over 40 percent in the constantly growing European long-distance bus market. In Germany, one in two long-haul buses features the Mercedes-Benz or Setra logo. In the Flixbus fleet in Germany, Austria and Switzerland the figure is even higher, at over 60 percent.
Safety: world premiere of emergency brake system & Sideguard Assist in a bus
The new double decker from Setra sees the world premiere of two new safety and assistance systems for buses. In addition to the previously available functions – maximum full-stop braking in response to stationary objects and obstacles moving ahead of the vehicle – the emergency brake system Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA 4) now also incorporates pedestrian recognition with automatic braking.
The Sideguard Assist uses radar sensors to monitor the lane to the right of the coach along the vehicle’s entire length. It helps the driver with the blind spot, and warns of pedestrians, cyclists or stationary obstacles while turning. On the highway, it additionally serves as a lane-changing assistant. The new double-decker from Setra also comes as standard with long-life LED headlights which are kind on the eyes.
Efficiency: outstanding aerodynamics lower fuel consumption
Despite its size, the new double-decker coach has a highly aerodynamic design. At the front, strongly curved windscreens with and large edge radii allow the air to flow around the vehicle, while at the rear recesses and airflow break-away edges guide the airflow. The development engineers have attended to the most minute details: the windscreen wiper on the upper deck is vertical in its rest position, for example – a feature adopted from motorsport. This results in a drag coefficient of Cd = 0.35 – a new benchmark in this segment. The aerodynamic design helps ensure that fuel consumption is up to ten percent lower than that of the previous model, depending on use. Depending on the mileage covered, this adds up to savings of several thousand litres of fuel annually.
