Marcopolo strengthens its operations in China and will have delivered 60 coaches to Hong Kong in 2024

Since 2012, the company has supplied approximately 700 vehicles to the region

Marcopolo is one of the leading developers of mobility solutions, with factories in several countries around the world, including China, where it has already delivered 60 coaches to Hong Kong alone in 2024. The company has been supplying vehicles to the region since 2012, mainly Audace family products, and in total almost 700 units have already been sold to this market.

“The China plant is suitable for the serial production of several solutions developed by Marcopolo and this is possible thanks to the continuous investments we make in innovation and technology, both in the country and in the company’s other operations”, says José Luis Moraes Goes, Marcopolo’s director of international operations and commercial foreign market.

Since 2012, when the company started selling vehicles to Hong Kong, the product portfolio has undergone updates. Currently, six different chassis options are offered to the market, both with European OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer), as well as with a Chinese chassis.

“Whenever we think about producing or implementing something in a certain region, we make an analysis first to identify whether that place has the necessary structure to receive our new vehicles”, says Goes.

Betting on decarbonization

Among the recent innovations developed by Marcopolo at the China plant is the Audace Fuel Cell, powered by hydrogen fuel cell and which was presented at the 2023 at Busworld Europe – one of the most important events in the bus industry – considered an innovation case for the company. Two prototypes were assembled and both were subjected to extreme tests, which provided data collection that allowed optimization of the vehicles. And it doesn’t stop there, we are already working on more prototypes using this technology; 

The work was developed in cooperation with Allenbus, responsible for the integration system, and Sinosynergy, developer of the fuel cell system.

“Commercial models with hydrogen propulsion are considered sustainable alternatives in a world where the decarbonization process is increasingly evident in all sectors. China is a market that invests in technologies of this nature and has a fleet of more than 20 thousand commercial vehicles in operation, which demonstrates the vast field of opportunities that lie ahead”, says Hans Jorg Ehlers, CEO of Marcopolo China.

In addition to Audace Fuel Cell, Marcopolo invests in other electric and hybrid propulsion solutions, directly aligned with the global challenges of decarbonization and its impacts. There are about 1,000 vehicles in circulation in different countries, such as Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico.

Operation in the international market

The strategy of strengthening the company’s performance in the international market also has the goal of expanding exports to the Middle East, Africa, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand. To this end, the company invests in partnerships with local manufacturers, such as in East Africa, where Marcopolo collaborates with a body manufacturer in the region and provides CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits for local assembly, in order to overcome the barrier of import rights. In Australia, the company has three plants, in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. In South America, we highlight recent sales to Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Ecuador.

In addition to these markets, Marcopolo China can be a solution for specific products, such as hydrogen-powered vehicles. Another factor is the development of vehicles that suit market needs, for example, countries that are experiencing the growth of road travel and may need buses of certain models or configurations. The company always seeks to improve its designs in order to collaborate with the mobility segment.

In 2Q24, Marcopolo’s exports from Brazil represented 10.4% of net revenue, totaling R$ 203.8 million, while business in the international market represented R$ 495.9 million of net revenue, 25.4% of the total recorded by the company in the period.

About Marcopolo  

Founded 75 years ago in Caxias do Sul (RS), Marcopolo is a leading bus body manufacturer in Brazil and is consistently ranked among the world’s largest manufacturers. The company is committed to the future of mobility, attentive to the development of new modes of transport, in addition to continuously investing in improvement, technology, design and expansion, producing solutions that contribute to the development of collective passenger transport. With factories on five continents, the vehicles produced by the company drive on the roads of over 140 countries.