Golden Dragon (company)

Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Company Ltd.. (in short: Golden Dragon) is a Chinese manufacturer and one of the largest providers of travel, urban and minibuses. Founded in 1992 as a joint venture is part of the King Long Group and has a production capacity of over 40,000 annually buses. Since the surprising marketing of three-axle buses in Scandinavia in 2011, the company strives to increasing sales opportunities in Europe.

History

The company Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Company Ltd.. was established in 1992 through a joint venture between Xiamen Automobile Company Ltd.. and the Hong Kong Faya Company Ltd.. founded. On 1 May 1992 the foundation stone of a first manufacturing facility covering an area of 30,000 m2 in Huli, a year later the production of the minibus Golden Dragon XML6390 began. As of 1995, the production capacity for this type of vehicle reached 10,000 units per year.

1997 has started with the production of the midi bus Star King XML6700, which largely got the structure and technology of the Toyota Coaster. The following year, the production value of the company had already reached 368 million RMB.

In 2000, the structure of the company to the production of large and medium-sized coaches and city buses has been extended; this created the Xiamen Golden Dragon Van Co. Ltd.. Haicang Passenger Car Factory in Haicang soon reached a monthly capacity of production of 200 vehicles. As early as 2003 Golden Dragon was the third largest Chinese manufacturer of medium and large buses. Despite the huge domestic demand in China, the company is increasing its export efforts, especially in Southeast Asia and Africa. The foreign exchange earnings from the sale of vehicles exceeded 2007 for the first time 100 million U.S. dollars abroad.

2011 succeeded to the sale of 10 hybrid buses for public transport in Turku, the fifth largest city in Finland, a Chinese company to market buses in Scandinavia for the first time. Here, Golden Dragon was able to beat the market leading in Scandinavia manufacturer Scania and Volvo. The triaxial vehicles with a length of 14.8 meters were adjusted to European standards as regards the emission standard and noise emissions.

At the 64th IAA 2012 in Hanover in September 2012, the company was represented by two models: a city bus ( XML6125CL ) in low-floor technology with 33 seats, 58 standing passengers and a wheelchair space and a luxury coach ( XML6125J ) with 51 seats.

Market observers point to the favorable prices for new vehicles and beyond for spare parts. One marketing in Germany is currently (as of October 2013) an inadequate network of dealers in the way. The debt level of German cities and towns in many places prevented the procurement of new, environmentally friendly hybrid buses for public transport.

After Golden Dragon in 2012 already was 4200 Minibuses in Egypt settle, another 1,200 buses of this type were sold there in February 2013. Thus, the company was able to overtake the previous market leader in this segment, the Japanese manufacturer Toyota, in terms of sales figures. Africa, where there is a high demand for minibuses local circumstances, is now seen by Chinese manufacturers as already traditional market, from which European automotive companies largely pull and Japanese manufacturers are increasingly displaced.

Group structure

Golden Dragon is a company of the parent company, Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Company Ltd.. , Briefly King Long, one of the largest bus manufacturer in the world. At this company, the Higer Bus Company, Ltd. belongs ..

At the site Huli there are two production on an area of ​​310,000 m2 and 320,000 m2 of additional premises. The production capacity is given as 40,000 vehicles per year; a total of around 3,200 people are employed (as of 2013).

In March 2013, the Company announced the construction of two additional production lines, associated with an increase in production capacity by an additional 6,000 buses per year.

The company has in China within a few years a nationwide network with four large marketing departments in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou and Xi'an, six major parts centers ( in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changchun, Xi'an and Zhengzhou), more than built 150 Group's own retail outlets and around 150 authorized workshops.

Economic environment and current development in China

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.

In the capital Beijing alone, it is necessary to modernize more than 28,000 buses. While the overall Group Kinglong among others, the development of pure electric buses and in collaboration with universities promoting the development of light-weight yet powerful vehicle batteries, Golden Dragon has expanded its activities in the improvement of hybrid buses with compressed natural gas ( CNG) powered vehicles. Currently, about 1,000 CNG buses of the company are in different cities of China in action and over 1,000 Golden Dragon buses with hybrid drive are in 19 mega-cities such as Dalian, Beijing, Tianjin, Nantong, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuxi, Xiamen, and Kunming as well as on the Hainan island and in Turku (Finland ) in operation.

Current products

Golden Dragon offers bus and coach 5-14 meters long with 5-86 seats: They range from mini and midi buses on travel and city buses to special vehicles such as school buses, airport apron buses and police command vehicle. In the category of minibuses ambulances and goods transportation are produced. The product range is constantly expanding.

Be used by different manufacturers as well as components and parts from foreign manufacturers like ZF and Voith ( Drive Technology ), WABCO (ABS and ASR), Bosch (ESC, LDW and ACC), MAN, Hino and Hyundai.

Since 2012, a newly developed sports utility vehicle in the program; the vehicle is - initially only in Asia - marketed under the name Golden Dragon Righto.

Gallery

Golden Dragon bus in St. Petersburg ( Russia)

Golden Dragon Bus in the Philippines

Golden Dragon bus in Shenzhen (China)