CHINA COACH BRANDS DOMINATE SINGAPORE PRIVATE BUS MARKET
More and more China-made buses are running on Singapore roads, with demand being fuelled by the so-called Integrated Resorts (IRs), a kind of large holiday centres, of which several are built already or under construction. The nine China bus brands active in Singapore, sold 148 units last year, or almost two-thirds of the total estimated 230 large private buses sold in Singapore in 2009.
Of these mainland makes, the top brand is King Long with a market share of 40 per cent for its segment. The Xiamen bus manufacturer produces 23- to 49-seater models and last year, it sold 61 buses here to major local transport operators who service the IRs.
The main attraction of the Chinese coach is its lower price. King Long is China's top brand and the most expensive, yet the price of a 49-seater luxury coach ranges from $145,00 to $235,000. A similar model from a European brand can cost $65,000 extra. Little wonder then that from zero in 2007, China-made buses now account for 64 per cent of its segment after just three years.
The Chinese bus is also considered as a reliable product, claim Singaporese users. For King Long, China is merely a low-cost assembly base; the key components of a King Long bus come from Europe, the engine coming from the UK, and the transmission, power steering and brakes are from Germany.
