The new model was announced jointly yesterday by Domenico Bondi, managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, and Eloy Pérez, CEO of UNVI. They were speaking at the UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA) Members Annual General Meeting and Conference, hosted at Volvo Group UK’s head office in Warwick.
Deliveries of the new Volvo B13R UNVI XL are anticipated to commence from Summer 2026. The new model will initially be offered as a 12.8m-long, 4x2 single-deck coach with a choice between 53 passenger seats, or 49 passenger seats plus one wheelchair space.
Bondi said: “This marks one of the most important new product announcements since I joined Volvo Bus UK & Ireland three years ago. A massive amount of work has gone into developing this new coach, from both Volvo and UNVI – it’s a hugely exciting moment.”
Commenting on the specification of the new model, he adds: “An exceptional coach requires first class build quality, excellent chassis geometry, a smooth-riding suspension and a driveline offering industry-leading performance and efficiency. That’s precisely what we bring with the B13R chassis – and when paired with this new UNVI body, we’re confident we’ve got a fantastic product which will set the benchmark for coach travel.”
Pérez explained: “The scale of this opportunity with Volvo Buses is huge. From the first exploratory conversations with Domenico and his team last year, we knew we wanted to be a part of this project.
“It comes at an incredibly exciting time for UNVI. Whilst this year we celebrate 30 years in bus and coach bodybuilding, our eyes are always on the future. We have developed a hard-earned reputation for product quality, style and comfort – match it with the Volvo B13R chassis, and we have a truly winning formula.”
The new Volvo B13R UNVI XL is powered by the latest generation 13-litre Euro-6 diesel engine, and a 12-speed Volvo I-Shift transmission, providing overdrive top gear, fast gear shifting, low internal friction and software optimised to help coach operators save fuel.
The engine can deliver up to 500 hp and 2,500 Nm or torque, whilst guaranteeing impressive power in all driving conditions and low engine revs when highway cruising, helping drivers to stay within the engine’s most economic operating range. With the option to run on either hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) or biofuel, operators can choose to improve their environmental performance even further.
Fuel savings of up to 9% and exhaust aftertreatment that reduces local pollutants to below Euro-6 requirements are also achieved from the new Volvo B13R, compared with the driveline in the previous B11R chassis.
Volvo Buses will assemble the B13R chassis at its factory in Boras, Sweden, one of the company’s most modern manufacturing facilities and accredited for relying solely on renewable energy for its operation. The chassis will be bodied at UNVI’s efficient 28,000sq m production site in Ourense, Spain, before delivery to the UK for pre-delivery inspection.
The new Volvo B13R UNVI XL joins Volvo Bus UK & Ireland’s existing line-up of bodied coaches, which already includes the 12.6m Volvo B8R MCV eVoTor single-deck coach, with a choice of 53 or 57 seats.
For maximum passenger capacity, it is complemented by the Volvo 9700 double-deck 6x2 coach with Carrus Delta bodywork, available in multiple interior configurations and with vehicle lengths ranging from 13m to 14.8m.
