With the theme 'Experience tomorrow's mobility, today', VDL Bus & Coach will demonstrate its strategy regarding sustainable mobility at the upcoming Busworld. For example, VDL Bus & Coach reports that it is actively working on themes related to 'Life Cycle Assessment' (LCA) and is further developing a completely zero-emission portfolio with a view to the European Green Deal.
The showcase of the new, completely energy-neutral production facility that has now been put into use in Roeselare, Belgium, is also one of the elaborations of this objective. According to VDL, the factory is the epitome of sustainability and innovation: a production location of more than 20,000 square meters with a roof full of solar panels, underfloor heating and where there are no solar panels, the roofs are 'green'. The new generation Citea is already rolling off the production line here. The new factory will be officially opened in the first half of 2024. Naturally, there is a lot of attention for the new Citea at Busworld. A third theme concerns the presentation of VDL's vision of the future for coaches. A new innovation platform for the third generation VDL Futura will play a prominent role during Busworld with extensive attention to VDL's philosophy in the field of
long-distance travel and intercity transport. VDL Bus & Coach states that it strongly believes in sustainable mobility with an integrated approach in which collaboration between chain partners is central. With that in mind, products from other VDL companies that are active in the world of energy transition will also be shown at Busworld, albeit on a stand that is smaller than we are used to from VDL Bus & Coach. And that has everything to do with the after-effects of the corona pandemic, which are mainly felt in the supply chain, which is affecting the entire automotive industry. The VDL Group recently released its half-year figures. It reported satisfactory results for the entire group, but the Buses division is making a loss. Turnover fell by forty percent, from 251 million euros a year ago to 153 million euros now.