The name Optare Bonito has been used to describe two vehicles built at separate times by
Optare
Switch Mobility (originally called Optare) is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company would be responsible for the EV operations of the group with ...
.
Original Bonito
The original Optare Bonito is a
minicoach that was built on the
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
chassis. It was the last
Optare
Switch Mobility (originally called Optare) is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company would be responsible for the EV operations of the group with ...
coach that did not receive a face-lift.
New Bonito
The second Optare Bonito was announced on 17 January 2012. It is a small bus, according to Optare. It was launched in the UK in June 2012. The new Bonito was based on
Fiat Ducato
The Fiat Ducato is a light commercial vehicle jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group (currently Stellantis), and mainly manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture between the two companies since 1981. It has also been sold as the Citroën C25, ...
Maxi chassis. The new Bonito was constructed in partnership with
Plastisol
A plastisol is a colloidal dispension of small polymer particles, usually polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in a liquid plasticizer. When heated to around , the plastic particles absorb the plasticizer, causing them to swell and fuse together forming a ...
in the Netherlands.
On 4 September 2014, it was confirmed that Optare had discontinued the Bonito. The model had the unusual distinction of not achieving a single sale in the UK.
Since then Composite Mobility has continued the production from the Bonito in partnership with Plastisol, the vehicle has a new name, The CM Mission.
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
...
References
External links
Optare's official website
Bonito
Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists ...
Vehicles introduced in 2012
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