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1997 NABI 416

1997 NABI 416 in A Dirty Shame, Movie, 2004 IMDB

Class: Bus, Single-deck — Model origin: US

1997 NABI 416

[*][*] Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene

Comments about this vehicle

AuthorMessage

IRT_BMT_IND CA

2007-07-13 00:56

NABI 416

Lajka HU

2009-04-05 00:39

IRT_BMT_IND wrote NABI 416

Nabi 40 LFW or Ikarus 416.
Nabi comes from the hungarian bus factory named Ikarus.
http://www.nabiusa.com/about-north-american-bus.htm

Gag Halfrunt UK

2009-04-05 00:44

The history of NABI is actually a lot more complicated than the account on their website. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Bus_Industries

Jale PL

2011-04-10 13:26

From your link:

"In 1989, Ikarus reentered the US market as Ikarus USA and introduced the model 416 (an Americanized model 415). The next year, Ikarus USA introduced the model 436, an articulated model of the 416. Though the company had modest success, the end of the Cold War led to a vast decline of Ikarus' European output and to a period of uneasiness at the company. These problems contributed to Union City Body Company declaring bankruptcy in 1992, in turn putting the future of Ikarus' US operations in doubt.

Amid these problems, Hungarian-born/US-residing investor Peter Rona, director of the First Hungary Fund Ltd of Jersey, United Kingdom, purchased 75% of Ikarus USA in mid-1992 with Ikarus retaining 25%. With the purchase came many changes, most significantly the name of the company to American Ikarus and the base of production from Union City to Anniston, Alabama.

Though American Ikarus was more successful than its predecessors, by the mid 1990s Ikarus decided that they wanted to leave the North American market given increased competition in Europe. In 1996, Ikarus sold their share of American Ikarus to the First Hungary Fund which took on the current NABI brand name and NABI Rt. corporate name upon closing. Subsequently, NABI expanded into the European market with the purchase of Optare in 2000 and is now a rival to its former parent."

Then 1989-1996 Ikarus 416, and after 1996 - NABI 416

And - origin Hungary, built in USA?

Gag Halfrunt UK

2011-04-10 13:44

And the Wikipedia article is also out of date. :) Optare was bought out by its management in 2005, and NABI ended up as part of a group with Blue Bird and another American bus maker.
http://www.nabusind.com/about-north-american-bus.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optare

Jale PL

2011-04-10 13:54

Ok, then second attempt. ;)

from http://busexplorer.com/WorldBus/Ikarus-Text.html :

"Ikarus did the same as Neoplan and MAN and looked for a US partner for final assembly and "americanization" of their standard 280 articulated bus. The US version became the 286. An agreement was signed with Crown Coach in 1978, who built 246 buses as Crown-Ikarus for various US cities from 1980-1984. After the end of Crown marketing, the same model was assembled in Canada by Orion and sold as the Orion III, but only in Canada and only to Ottawa and Toronto, from 1985-1989. A total of 257 were produced. In 1986 Ikarus presented a completely new model, the 416, based on the new Ikarus 400-series but redesigned for the US market. A deal was made with Union City Body Company (step van producer) in Union City, Indiana, for marketing and assembly of the buses. Bus shells were still produced in Hungary. Ikarus USA was created as a subsidiary company of Union City for sales and marketing. The buses were sold as Ikarus USA from 1989-1992. By that time, Ikarus in Hungary, and as a result the US operations, were in financial problems. As mentioned before, Ikarus had its production seen falling from over 17,000 in its best years to a few thousand units at best, in just a few years time, because of the political changes in Eastern Europe. Union City Body Company went bankrupt and Ikarus in Hungary was desperately trying to survive.

This would have been the end of the Ikarus bus in the US if a Hungarian immigrant to the US, Mr. Peter Róna, had not created the First Hungary Fund. Mr. Róna saw opportunities in Hungary for technology intensive investments, building on the high quality but relativily cheap labor force of the country. Seeing an opportunity to continue the sale of Ikarus buses in the US, he bought Union City Body Company at a liquidation sale for 1.3 million US$. He negotiated with Ikarus in Hungary the transfer of one of Ikarus' bus factories in Budapest in exchange for which Ikarus would obtain a 25% stake in North American Bus Industries, NABI, a joint venture in which the First Hungary Fund would own the other 75% of the shares. Ikarus accepted and NABI was created in 1993. Until 1997 the two previous Ikarus standard 416 and articulated 436 models were sold as American Ikarus.

Early in 1997 the FHF bought out the 25 per cent stake of Ikarus. The company was then transformed from a limited liability to a joint stock company and is now traded at the Budapest Stock Exchange. The name of the buses was changed to NABI. NABI rt in Hungary is the parent company, with the engineering departments and the bus shell construction. Bus shells are transported by train and ship to the US where they are finished by subsidiary company NABI Ltd, now in Allentown, Alabama. While NABI still is a Hungarian company, it no longer has ties with Ikarus. In 2000 NABI bought Optare from the UK, which so far exists as a separate entity. However, in addition to introducing the Optare low floor bus in the US, NABI is now also starting up production for the Hungarian, market, directly competing with Ikarus."

Then:

1989-1992 Ikarus 416 and Ikarus 436
1993-1997 American Ikarus 416 and American Ikarus 436
from 1998 NABI 416 and NABI 436

Still origin Hungary, built in USA. :)

Jale PL

2011-04-10 14:02

AND from http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/n/nabi/nabi.htm :

"Take North American Bus Industries (NABI) the ashes of predecessors American Ikarus and before that Crown Coach, as well as scraps from its once-proud parents, Ikarus of Hungary and Union City Body Co., NABI was incorporated in 1992. However, in an unconventional twist, it was incorporated in Budapest to build buses specifically for the U.S. market.

Explains Andy Racz, investment over the past five years from the First Hungary Fund, a private investment syndicate. Although the capital comes from Europe, the Fund� management saw the opportunity in North America. In fact, NABI is established strictly for operations in North America, and for now that means the U.S. only."

A tour of the Hungarian operation reveals much about the company� U.S. focus. The design department sports state-of-the-art computer-aided design and engineering systems that allow engineers to perform three-dimensional modeling, finite element analyses and other sophisticated tests like their counterparts in the automobile and aerospace industries.

Although thousands of miles away from its final-assembly plant and U.S. headquarters in Anniston, AL, all that matters now is time: seven time zones separating Hungary and Alabama, and a few weeks in shipping the shells made in Budapest via rail, boat and then truck to Anniston.

Thanks to improving technology, even those differences are getting less relevant. "This capability allowed us to produce a low-floor bus shell design, self-designed bus [its standard-floor and articulated models were taken from Ikarus designs], in four months," adds Racz.

In fact, the existing Ikarus designs themselves will last probably one more year, he says. Beyond that, NABI engineers will have totally designed all of its models."

Then after 1994 origin USA...

jthe transit fan

2017-07-30 00:47

1997-2000 model

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