DaimlerChrysler has announced a reorganization of its North American bus business, including its Thomas Built and Orion operations. The reorganization places all the company's North American commercial bus and coach brands within a new division, DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America. The new division will be headquartered in Greensboro NC.
DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America will consist of Setra highway coaches, Orion transit buses, and selected Thomas Built commercial buses. Orion and Thomas Built commercial buses formerly were integrated under Freightliner LLC, DaimlerChrysler's North American commercial vehicle division. The Thomas Built school bus business will remain within Freightliner LLC and will interact closely with the new commercial bus division.
In other changes, the Thomas CL and SLF series will now fall under the Orion brand. Selected Thomas Bus dealers will support sales activities of the Orion CL and SLF series. As in the past, transit buses and highway coaches will be sold directly to the end customer. Current production sites for Orion and Thomas Built commercial buses are in Greensboro NC, Oriskany NY, and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Setra coaches are imported from Germany.