Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) was Daimler's North America bus division, incorporating the Orion,

Setra Setra is a German bus brand of EvoBus GmbH, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG. The name "Setra" comes from "selbsttragend" (self-supporting). This refers to the integral nature of the construction of the vehicles back in th ...

, and

Dodge Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle ( van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...

brands. Due to the spinoff of Daimler's truck division on December 1, 2021, it merged into

Daimler Truck North America Daimler Truck North America LLC (formerly Freightliner Corporation) is an automotive industry manufacturing, manufacturer of commercial vehicles headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, and Limited liability company, LLC of the Germa ...

History

In 1999, Thomas Dennis was formed as a joint venture between

Thomas Built Buses Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (commonly known as Thomas) is an American bus manufacturer. Best known for its production of yellow school buses, Thomas produces other bus designs for a variety of usages. Currently, its production is concentrated on sc ...

of the United States (51%) and

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...

of England (49%). If manufactured a version of the

Dennis Dart The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined single-decker midibus chassis that was introduced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles of Guildford, England in 1989, replacing the Dennis Domino. Initially built as a high-floor design, In 1996 the low-floor second ...

, engineered for the North American market, in a new facility located in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

. The SLF200 was reengineered in 2002 to use a

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

engine and electrics. Dennis had hoped to develop a 40 ft transit bus, but instead

DaimlerChrysler The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacture ...

subsequently bought

Orion Bus Industries Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The company had its main manufacturing plant in Mississauga and sent bus body shells to t ...

. As a result, Mayflower terminated the joint venture, selling its 49 per cent interest to partner DaimlerChrysler. Mayflower stated it wanted to concentrate on double-deckers, citing the success of their double-decker fleets in New York and Vancouver.Thomas Dennis Co adopts new name
''

Metro Magazine ''Metro Magazine'' is a trade magazine for bus and rail transit and motorcoach operators, published in the United States since 1904, taking its current name in 1975.Di Giacomo, Frank. "100 years of deadlines". ''Metro Magazine'', July 2004, p. 4. ...

'' 14 May 2003 Thomas Dennis was renamed DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America in 2003. In 2007 the company changed its name from DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America to Daimler Buses North America after Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corporation Demerged and parted ways when Daimler-Benz sold the Chrysler Corporation to Cerberus Capital Management.Daimler Buses North America website
/ref>

Models

*SLF200-series (SLF229, SLF232, SLF235) - Powered by diesel or compressed natural gas, discontinued in 2005 *CL100

cutaway bus Cutaway van chassis are used by second stage manufacturers for a wide range of completed motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans to be bigger or smaller than pickup trucks and SUVs mad ...

* Sprinter *

S and SG series *

Orion V The Orion V was a line of rigid high-floor transit buses available in 32', 35', and 40' lengths manufactured by Ontario Bus Industries (renamed Orion Bus Industries in 1995) between 1989 and 2009. The conventionally powered buses, either with lon ...

Orion VI The Orion VI was a low-floor bus, low-floor transit bus available in 40' lengths manufactured by Ontario Bus Industries (renamed Orion Bus Industries in 1995) between 1995 and 2003. The Orion VI was intended to provide an alternative to the exis ...

Orion VII The Orion VII was a line of low-floor transit buses available in 30' rigid, 35' rigid, and 40' rigid lengths manufactured by Orion Bus Industries between 2001 and 2013 in three generations. The conventional powered buses, either with longitudinal ...

References

External links

DaimlerChrysler Buses North America
{{North American bus builders Bus manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina Daimler Truck Dennis Group Motor vehicle assembly plants in North Carolina Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1999 1999 establishments in North Carolina