Volvo B12M
| Volvo B12M | |
|---|---|
A Volvo B12M with Berkhof Axial coach bodywork in the Hodge's Coaches fleet | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volvo Buses |
| Production | 2002-2022 |
| Assembly | Borås, Sweden, and other locations (including Curitiba, Brazil, where it was last produced) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1-4 |
| Floor type | High |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Volvo DH12 12-litre Diesel |
| Power output | 310-460BHP |
| Transmission | ZF 5/6HP602C Manual Voith automatic |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Volvo B10M |
The Volvo B12M is an underfloor mid-engined bus/coach chassis introduced by Volvo Buses in 2002 as a replacement for the Volvo B10M. It is available with a variety of bodies such as the Van Hool T9 Alizee, Sunsundegui Sideral and Plaxton Panther/Paragon. Large British users of the B12M include Wallace Arnold, Park's Motor Group and Southern Vectis.
In Brazil, the B12M replaced the B10M in articulated/bi-articulated versions, not being built in a solo bus version like its predecessors B58E and B10M, and is produced since 2004. Also, in Curitiba, there are bi-articulated buses on Volvo B12M chassis in a 28-meter configuration, making them some of the world's longest buses. Since 2011, the B12M was renamed as B340M, and the chassis was updated to the Proconve P7/Euro V emission standard rules in the following year. Both articulated and bi-articulated versions are rated for 340 hp. After Euro VI-based Proconve P8 emission standard became mandatory in Brazil in 2023, the B340M chassis was discontinued with no diesel successor being developed; instead, Volvo developed an electric bi-articulated bus chassis which belongs to the BZR range; a single-articulated variant is presumably also in development.