The Kia Granbird is a
high-decker coach produced by the
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n manufacturer
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
. It was derived from the
Hino S'elega platform and for a brief period of time from former
Asia Motors
Asia Motors Industries, traded as Asia Motors ( ko, 아시아자동차, ), was a South Korean car manufacturer established in 1965 and closed in 1999. From 1976 onwards, it was a subsidiary of Kia Motors.
History
In 1962, as one of the measu ...
. Production started i
1994 and the exterior look stayed the same until the second generation in 2007, and then finally a refresh in 2020. The Granbird is manufactured at
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
's Gwangju plant, which also makes the
Soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
,
Sportage,
Rondo
The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period.
Etymology
The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round".
Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
, and
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
's commercial and military trucks. The Granbird is only sold in selected markets.
First Generation (1994–2007)
In 1994, Kia introduced the Granbird, to compete with the
Hyundai Aero
The Hyundai Aero (hangul:현대 에어로) was a rigid bus, full-sized single-decker bus, single-decker coach (bus), coach built by the Hyundai Motor Company. It was primarily used as an coach (bus), intercity bus.
It is distinguishable by a fro ...
and the
Daewoo BH series. This generation was only offered with direct injection diesel engines.
File:KIA TOUR COACH AT THE DMZ VISITORS CENTRE DORASAN SOUTH KOREA OCT 2012 (8293425799).jpg, alt=, Kia Granbird 2000-2007.
File:Asia Granbird A555YE 20050611.JPG, Asia Motors
Asia Motors Industries, traded as Asia Motors ( ko, 아시아자동차, ), was a South Korean car manufacturer established in 1965 and closed in 1999. From 1976 onwards, it was a subsidiary of Kia Motors.
History
In 1962, as one of the measu ...
Granbird.
Second Generation (2007–2020)
In 2007, the second generation Granbird was introduced with the Parkway model. The Granbird and the
Hyundai Universe
The Hyundai Universe (hangul:현대 유니버스) is a heavy-duty luxury coach manufactured by the truck & bus division of Hyundai. Introduced in December 2006, it is primarily available as luxury hi-classic tourist buses. It is related to its sib ...
shared a dedicated commercial vehicle chassis. It underwent a first refresh in 2011. The second refresh of the Granbird, the Silkroad model, debuted at the Seoul Motor Show in 2015.
File:Gyeongnam Express Kia Granbird Parkway Motorcoach.jpg, alt=, Pre-facelift
File:Hankyong National Univ bus.JPG, alt=, Facelift
Model Name
*Silkroad
*Sunshine
*Bluesky
*Parkway
*Greenfield
3rd Generation (2020–Present)
Unveiled on 14 May 2020, the 3rd Generation Kia Granbird continues to be underpinned by Hyundai's dedicated commercial vehicle chassis shared with the refreshed Hyundai Universe. It is available in Super Premium Sunshine and Super Premium Parkway trims. It features a large, completely color instrument cluster, and a large touchscreen infotainment system. The interior also features a new flat TV and an entertainment system is standard on the Super Premium Sunshine and Super Premium Parkway versions. The indoor height has been increased by 80mm, and the upper left and right widths of the interior have been expanded by 120mm.
For the first time in its class, a front parking assist device that sounds a warning sound when there is an obstacle in the lower front, a steering haptic that gives attention to the driver through vibration when operating with safety specifications, and automatically opens the door through a sensor when a person or object gets caught when the door is closed. The main entrance touch sensor, a speed-sensitive car height control device that adjusts the height of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed to improve aerodynamic performance, etc., are applied.
The powertrain of the refreshed coach is a Powertech 12.7-liter Hyundai D6CG (Euro 6) (440ps) diesel engine paired to both manual and automatic transmissions.
See also
*
List of buses
Year refers to the first year introduced. A range of years is the period the bus was manufactured.
#
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
...
External links
Chronological table of Korean Buses* (South Korea)
{{Kia timeline 1970–1999
Granbird
Buses
Coaches (bus)