Ankai
Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd.. (in short: Ankai ) is a Chinese manufacturer of travel and buses. Founded in 1997, is the largest Busexporteur China; he is one of the largest manufacturers of large electric buses.
History
The company Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd. was established on 22 July 1997 and three days later was added to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the second largest stock market in China. With today the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus belonging omnibus Setra brand, a licensing agreement for the construction of buses was closed with a unibody construction. This Ankai was the first company in Asia that this body type, also called monocoque produced. Just one year later, in November 1998, the 500th bus was manufactured.
2001, the license agreement with EvoBus was extended for another ten years. The treaty allowed the production of Ankai coach model SETRA S 315, the winner of the Coach of the Year award. In the same year the construction of a new automobile factory in Hefei started. With an initial production capacity of 1,000 vehicles a year, the largest production facility for comfort buses in China was created. In November 2002, the license production of the S 315 under the name Ankai Setra HFF6120K35 ( S315 ) could be started. In the following years Ankai was instrumental in building the nationwide long-distance bus network with modern Western comforts and safety standards corresponding vehicles. Thus began in September 2002, the regularly scheduled bus service from Inner Mongolia to the capital Beijing with Ankai - Setra buses. This was also one of the first fast and comfortable long-distance bus routes in China, marks
At its production site in Hefei, the company upgraded in March 2007 a first transport line from the 18-meter articulated bus Ankai BRT ( Bus Rapid Transit for ). With the introduction of this modern, in the province of hitherto unknown type of vehicle won not only the company, but also the city to nationwide attention and appreciation, which has traditionally been important in Chinese popular culture. Ankai could hereby offer the entire product range of modern buses 8-18 meters in length.
During the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing the first battery buses manufactured by Ankai in self-construction were used. The prestigious escort the Olympic torch was carried out by Ankai buses. An additional 300 new buses were used to transport the athletes and visitors. The company thus hoped also a growth in international awareness of its brand.
In March 2008, received a Ankai bus ( the first bus manufacturer chinesesischer ) a safety and environmental certification by the Australian transport authorities. This certificate attests that largely meets the demanding requirements of the ECE Regulations, meant for the further development of the company a decisive step: he gave access to the lucrative, but in terms of technical specifications highly regulated European markets. Another milestone in the history of the company was selling 11 Ankai first double-decker buses to the company Big Bus Company in June 2010, it was the first time that buses from China arrived on the U.S. market. ; were preceded by lengthy negotiations with the approval and import authorities. The unit price was 2 million RMB. The buses were painted with oversized USA flags and are used as tourist buses in Las Vegas and San Francisco. In the same year, the sale of double-decker buses on the South African market so far dominated by British models succeeded.
2010 years Ankai won a coveted invitation to tender for the modernization of public transport in Beijing and delivered 250 double-decker buses in the capital (models Ankai HFF6123KZ -2 and HFF6110GS01D ).
Since 2010 builds Ankai the production of large electric buses from further; so 30 Ankai - electric buses were delivered to the city of Hefei. Thus the first public bus line in the world was opened, which is used exclusively in pure electric buses. The vehicles have used a range of over 300 km (without operation of the air conditioning ) and 230 km with the air conditioner.
On the one established by the World Economic Forum annual meeting of global growth companies in Dalian Ankai - electric buses have been used as a shuttle for the participants. Since then, the buses are used on the famous tourist route in China from Dalian to Lüshunkou; this route has in China because the main objective visit, the prison of Lüshun, a certain amount of national importance. Also at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, the shuttle traffic was predominantly handled with electric buses, including 85 Ankai buses.
2010 Advanced Ankai its product range to environmentally friendly natural gas vehicles. 140 new CNG city buses were delivered to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Due to the particular climatic conditions of these located in the extreme northwest China metropolis adjustments to the heating or air conditioning were necessary. In the following years Ankai delivered 575 CNG buses with a similar drivetrain to Pakistan.
On 28 December 2010 the company announced the production of the ten thousandth bus in fiscal year 2010 This was the company's fifth in China with capacity of this magnitude -. According to the competitors Kinglong, Golden Dragon, Higer bus and Yutong.
The largest foreign delivery in 2011 succeeded Ankai with the sale of 3,000 large school buses to Saudi Arabia. It was also the biggest export school bus at all and had a contract value of approximately 152 million U.S. dollars.
In recent years Ankai was able to increase Busexport to South America and Asia continuously. In addition to the generally low price below which the European competitors far, this is also attributed to the price-performance ratio. 2012 From an economic, but also of considerable importance effective advertising was the delivery of double-decker buses for use in the British capital London. The red double-decker recognized worldwide as a symbol of the British capital. It was the first shipment of Chinese-built buses to Britain. A total of 20 vehicles were sold, which were first used during the Olympic Games and today are used as tourist buses for city tours use. Ankai today supplies to other European countries, such as Hungary or Romania. In Germany Ankai buses are only sporadically found
At the production site Hefei are currently (2012 ) approximately 3,000 employees; the premises comprises 718,000 m2. 2011 was Ankai with an export value of around 152 million U.S. dollars, the largest Busexporteur China. He is the world's largest manufacturer of large electric buses; in China in 2011, he had herein a market share of 70 percent. Overall, similar to the history of the company which many Chinese producers: Building on a license agreement with a European manufacturer Ankai developed within a few years to the manufacturer standalone products, which are initially distributed in inland China and thereafter the market share of traditional bus manufacturers (including the former licensor ) significantly reduce abroad.
Economic environment and current development
Due to the very large population ( larger population than Europe and North America ) and the low level of motorization of the population is at the same time rapidly increasing spatial and social mobility in the People's Republic of China an annual demand for around 400,000 buses ( as of 2012), of which half for public transport. The company currently has Ankai (2011 ) an annual production of 14,200 buses on.
Chinese cities are associated with significant air pollution that is contributed to a considerable extent by the growing motorization. The Government has therefore initiated extensive modernization campaigns to increasingly replace with the aim of mainly driven by diesel engines with new electric buses city buses. Industry insiders expect an annual domestic demand from 50,000 to 150,000 vehicles of this type. Moreover, the government has adopted a deposited with subsidies economic plan in 2009, after the People's Republic is to be the worldwide market leader for electric buses within a few years. The program is also intended to ensure long-term exports and job creation.
In the capital Beijing alone, it is necessary to modernize more than 28,000 buses. Ankai, although the world's largest manufacturer of pure electric buses, these domestic demand can not cover. Against this macroeconomic background, the company in September 2012 with the construction of a new production line for the production of an annual 150,000 complete drive trains ( Powertrain ) started for commercial vehicles with alternative drive technology, 6,000 pure electric buses as well as another 12,000 powertrains for buses. The investment costs amount to 1.5 billion yuan ( approximately € 188 million) with an expected annual output value of 8.1 billion yuan ( around € 1 billion ); production is scheduled to begin in late 2013.
One marketing in Germany is the dealer network is not constructed in the way. Also caused by the debt of the cities and municipalities investment backlog blocked in many places in Germany, a conversion of public transport to more environmentally friendly vehicles and reduces the medium term the prospects for sales of vehicles priced advantageous from China. At the 64th IAA 2012 in Hanover in September 2012, the company was represented by the double-decker tourist bus 6110GS HFF - 1 and the VIP luxury shuttle HFF 6904 -KZ 8.
Current products
Ankai offers a wide range of mainly medium and large coaches (also with three axles ), tourist buses ( in classic luxury design) and city buses (including about 12 meters in length ). The latter are also produced as articulated. For the long -distance connections in China comfortable high-wing and Nightliner are offered with sleeping cabins. According to Chinese standards are part of the comfort seats with massage function and screens for every traveler in the back of the front seat. In addition, Midi buses, club buses of various sizes, luxurious VIP shuttle with on-board café and special vehicles (such as buses with blood establishment ) are produced.
The motors are installed as rear engine or engine low floor. Optionally, include both classic internal combustion engines ( diesel or natural gas) as well as hybrid and electric drives available. The main drawback is not (yet ) the batteries for the electric operation, which are considered very cumbersome due to the size and weight. According to industry experts, the company is working to resolve this issue in the coming years.
In addition Ankai supplies chassis and vehicle components such as complete drive trains; It also offers design assistance and other advice for other Chinese companies.