In 2012, Solaris maintained its leadership on the Polish domestic market for the tenth consecutive year. The company increased its market shares abroad and introduced new vehicles to its wide product range.
Solaris on the Polish market
In 2012, Solaris sold 1006 buses and trolleybuses, of which 263 were delivered to its Polish customers. This result helped the company not only to maintain its leadership on the domestic market but also to strengthen the competitive position in the industry. Solaris’s share of the Polish market for low-floor city buses amounted to 46.6%, while its closest competitor’s market share was lower by more than 30 percentage points.
Among the biggest orders completed by Solaris in Poland last year were contracts for the delivery of thirty-five Urbino buses to Bialystok, thirty vehicles to Cracow and twenty to Warsaw.
Graph: City bus market shares in Poland in 2012
Source: Solaris Bus & Coach
Foreign markets
The number of buses delivered abroad amounted to 743, 8.2 percent more than the previous year. The company increased its market shares in the majority of its 25 foreign markets, experiencing the biggest growth in the CzechRepublic and in Germany.
2012 was a record year for Solaris in the German market with the delivery of 268 vehicles, an increase of 8.1 percent in comparison with 2011, when the company delivered 248 buses. Thanks to this result Solaris’s share of the city bus market grew from 10 to 13 percent, making it again the largest non-German supplier of buses in this country.
The delivery of 81 buses and trolleybuses to the Czech Republic gave the company the third place and 26 percent market share on the Czech city bus market. This represents a 19 percent increase compared with 2011.
In 2012, the number of countries where Solaris buses operate increased to 26. With the delivery of two Solaris Urbino 12.9 Hybrid buses to Tampere, the company entered the Finnish market. The second new market was Belgium, where a Solaris Urbino 12 Hybrid was ordered.
Among the biggest orders completed abroad were contracts for delivery of sixty-seven buses to Burgas (Bulgaria), forty-three vehicles to Avignon (France) and forty to Prague (Czech Republic).
Trams
In 2012, Solaris delivered 22 Solaris Tramino to Poznań City Transport. It was the second part of the delivery of 45 vehicles ordered by the local operator.
The production of trams for Jena, the company’s first foreign customer for rail vehicles, started last year. Five bidirectional tramways will be delivered in the second half of 2013.
Solaris signed two further contracts for the delivery of its trams. The German city of Braunschweig will receive 18 four-section, 36-metre trams in 2014.The second contract was signed in Olsztyn, the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. After 55 years the city is restoring its tram system. The delivery of 15 bi-directional, 29-metre long trams is scheduled for 2014.
Last year the company was granted the IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) certificate which confirms compliance with the highest global standards in design, manufacture and supply of rail vehicles.
Awards
In the course of the last twelve months, Solaris received several important awards. The fully electric Solaris Urbino electric city bus was awarded the inaugural EBUS Award for Battery Buses by Forum für Verkehr und Logistik e.V. It also won the International busplaner Sustainability Prize 2013 in the minibus/midibus category and the readers of trade magazine "busplaner" voted it their Innovation of the Year in Public Transport.
Solaris CEO Solange Olszewska was also honoured. In May 2012 she received the Medal of Merit of Poznań University of Technology in recognition of the long-standing cooperation between Solaris and the university. In October, the Polish division of the Dress for Success foundation and Lady’s Club magazine jointly awarded Olszewska the title "Lady of the Year 2012".
Premieres in 2012
In 2012, Solaris introduced three new vehicles to its product range, of which the Solaris Urbino 12 electric was undoubtedly the most innovative.
The Solaris Urbino 12 electric is a fully electric bus which can be charged in four different ways, with customers able to choose between plug-in connections, inductive charging, battery swaps and the use of pantographs.
Solaris also signed its first contracts for delivery of battery buses. A Solaris Urbino 12 electric was ordered by the local transport operator of Braunschweig, Germany. It will be equipped with an inductive charging system. Charging stations will be installed under the road surface. A second battery bus, a Solaris Urbino 8.9 LE electric, will be delivered to Klagenfurt in Austria.
In 2012, Solaris also presented the new Solaris Urbino 18.75 and re-designed its InterUrbino high-floor intercity bus.
Plans for 2013
"The year 2012 was difficult in terms of the general economic situation, but at the same time it was successful for our company. The record number of vehicles sold in 2010 and 2011 was caused by two major factors: the highest level of EU funds spent on public transport and the preparations for the Euro 2012 Football Championship in Poland. The situation changed over the last twelve months. The market returned to its normal level rather than showing any signs of long-term decline. The new year brings new possibilities and it definitely looks promising in terms of order intake. The implementation of the new Euro 6 emission standard will be one of the biggest challenges to be faced by the industry, but we are prepared and ready. We will work on further bringing electric buses to the market and we will continue the development of our rail vehicles. The time for presenting a new generation of Solaris buses also approaches. The 2014 IAA Commercial Vehicles exhibition in Hannover will be a sound occasion for presenting them," says Solange Olszewska, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach.
About Solaris Bus & Coach
Solaris is a leading European manufacturer of innovative buses and urban rail vehicles. The family business, founded by Krzysztof and Solange Olszewski, has supplied almost 10,000 buses to customers in 26 countries since production started in 1996. Solaris specialises in state-of-the-art city and intercity buses and offers the world’s largest range of diesel-electric hybrid buses. Trolleybuses and electric buses provide public transport that is emission-free at the point of operation. The Solaris Tramino low-floor tram is built for attractive urban rail services.
Mateusz Figaszewski
Head of Public Relations
Mobile: +48 601 652 179
mateusz.figaszewski@solarisbus.com
Press releases
Information Solaris
Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. is one of the leading producers of city and intercity buses in Europe. It focuses in particular on the development of zero-emission vehicles, i. e. electric and hydrogen buses as well as trolleybuses. This has resulted in the widest zero-emission product range in the European market and a leading position in this segment with a market share of 15.2%. Nearly 25,000 Solaris vehicles have been delivered so far and they ply the streets in 850 towns and cities across 33 countries located throughout Europe as well as beyond it. Solaris is part of the Spanish CAF Group (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) S.A. From conception, to the design and manufacturing phases, all Solaris buses are produced in Poland. Moreover, all activities undertaken by the manufacturer are in line with the brand’s mission, which is reflected in the motto “We are changing the image of public transport”. Solaris also actively partners with public transport operators and provides them with comprehensive support in their transition to zero-emission mobility.
Additional information
Mateusz Figaszewski
E-mobility Development & Market Intelligence Director
mateusz.figaszewski@solarisbus.com
