VDL-Van Hool () (formerly known as Van Hool NV) is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.
Most of the buses and coaches are built entirely by Van Hool, with engines and axles sourced from Caterpillar, Cummins, DAF and MAN and gearboxes from ZF or Voith. Some production involved building bus and coach bodies on separate bus chassis from manufacturers such as Volvo and Scania.
Worldwide, Van Hool employed 4,500 people and manufactured more than 1,700 buses and coaches (bodyworks and complete vehicles combined) and 5,000 trailers each year. It sold an average of 600 coaches annually in the United States.
Van Hool filed for bankruptcy on Friday, 5 April 2024, and was declared bankrupt the following Monday (8 April 2024) by the Commercial Court of Belgium. On 10 April 2024, it was announced that Van Hool's trustees had accepted a takeover bid from Netherlands-based bus manufacturer VDL and Germany-based semi-trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull.
History
Bernard Van Hool (1902–1974) was a farmer in Koningshooikt, near Lier, Belgium; he and wife Bertha Van Asch had eight sons and two daughters. Bernard built his own bus to take workers to his farm in Koningshooikt, and founded the company in 1947 in response to other farmers asking for similar vehicles. The company was a family business: of the 22 initial employees, five were related to Bernard, including his brother-in-law and his four eldest sons; it changed its name in 1954 to Van Hool en Zonen ("and Sons").
In the early years, Van Hool was a bus coachbuilder using motor vehicle chassis from other companies; it introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe. The company has also been active on the North American market since the mid 1980s.
Van Hool-Fiat
On February 15, 1957, Van Hool signed a commercial agreement with Fiat; Van Hool would incorporate Fiat engines and other mechanical components (gearboxes, axles, steering) in its vehicles. It developed from a coachbuilder to a Belgian manufacturer of integral buses and coaches, known as Van Hool-Fiat. Alongside these activities, the company continued as a coachbuilder, enabling further expansion.
In August 1958, a year and a half after the agreement with Fiat was signed, the 100th Van Hool-Fiat was delivered, and by July 1961, the figure had exceeded 500. The co-operation agreement with Fiat was terminated in 1981.
Global expansion Bernard van Hool retired from daily management in 1969 and died in 1974. Between 1974 and 1978 Van Hool and Dundalk-based coachbuilders Thomas McArdle entered into a partnership known as Van Hool McArdle to take over the bus building factory of CIÉ at Spa Road, Dublin, Ireland. The factory mainly built buses for CIÉ in Ireland plus some for export to the UK. The factory was then closed leaving the Republic of Ireland without a bus manufacturer for several years.
Van Hool entered the Japanese market in the early-1980s when the Meitetsu Group imported several Astromega double-decker buses for use as highway buses, followed by Hato Bus who imported two Astromegas in 1997. Since 2016, Van Hool and Scania have jointly developed and produced the TDX24 Astromega double-decker highway bus (also marketed as the ) solely for the Japanese market, as the spiritual successor to the Mitsubishi Fuso Aero King which was discontinued six years earlier.
In 1990, Van Hool purchased the coachbuilding business of LAG Manufacturing in Belgium and continued producing their EOS models for about ten years.
Bankruptcy and acquisition Crisis manager Marc Zwaaneveld was brought into the company in early 2024 as co-CEO alongside Filip Van Hool. As part of a reorganization plan, Zwaaneveld announced that Van Hool would discontinue transit bus production on March 11 and shift production to North Macedonia. However, the family could not agree on implementation; in an interview later that month with De Standaard, he said bankruptcy was unavoidable. Van Hool filed for bankruptcy on Friday, 5 April 2024 and was declared bankrupt the following Monday (8 April 2024) by the Commercial Court of Belgium, with production stopping and putting 1550 jobs at risk.
On 10 April 2024, it was announced that Van Hool's trustees had accepted a takeover bid from Netherlands-based bus manufacturer VDL and Germany-based semi-trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull.
In June 2026, it was announced that Dutch transport company G.A. Den Otter Trucks purchased the remaining 30 hectares of Van Hool grounds.
Product range (Europe) In Europe, Van Hool has a broad range of coaches, though all designs share similar looks and are based on the same platform, the TX. The same philosophy is used on the transit bus range, the A-series. In recent years, the company has been focusing on new propulsion technologies, introducing fuel-cell hybrid buses as well as diesel-electric hybrids.
Previous products
T8 series touring coach The T8 platform was introduced in 1979. The body was based on the Alizee bodywork that had been launched the previous year. Over the course of several years, a range of touring coaches were developed based on this platform, each distinguished by a number and a name, following a clear naming convention. For example, in "TD824 Astromega": T = Touringcar (touring coach) D = Dubbeldek (double deck) 8 = Part of the T8 series 24 = theoretical maximum number of seat rows Astromega = name of the double deck integrals In 1991, an updated "T8 New Look" was introduced, called the T9 in its North American version. Production was ended in the late 1990s, following the introduction of the new (European) T9 platform.
Model names used during the T8's production run included: Alicron = integral single deck coach (standard height) Acron = integral single deck coach (high floor) Astron = integral single deck (formerly interdeck) coach (high, two-axle, mid engine, small lower saloon at rear) Alizee = short length integral single deck coach, single deck coach body on other manufacturers' chassis Alligator = integral articulated single deck coach Altano = integral interdeck coach (low driving position and passenger seating above driver) Aragon = single deck coach body built by Van Hool España on other manufacturers' chassis Astral = interdeck coach body on mid-engined Volvo B10M chassis (two- or three-axle, small lower saloon at rear) Astrobel = double deck coach body on other manufacturers' chassis ( high, three-axle, rear engine). A one-off extra-high body was also built on a mid-engined Volvo B10MT chassis for use in Britain. Amarant = integral double deck coach ( high, two-axle, rear engine) Astromega = integral double deck coach ( high, three-axle, rear engine)
A-series transit bus
In the 1980s, European countries started to move away from standard bus designs, leaving the design of transit buses to the manufacturers. Van Hool's response was the development of the A-series transit buses. The first member, the A500, was introduced in 1985. A complete family would follow, again following a clear naming convention. For example, in 'AG500': A = Autobus (transit bus) G = Geleed (articulated) 500 = height of the floor, in millimeters Production of the A-series continued into the early 21st century, when it was replaced by the newA-series.
Current products
T9 series touring coaches
The T9 series was launched in 1995. It included a completely new body design and many other changes. The same philosophy as with the T8 was applied: one platform, many different versions. Also, the naming convention was retained. Over the years, many new variants have been developed. Different models (all available in at least two lengths, see 'products' below) include the Atlino and Atlon, with different floor heights, the Alicron, Acron and Astron, standard touring coaches with different heights and thus different luggage space, the Altano, which has an underfloor cockpit, the Astronef, which features a sloping theatre-style floor, and the double deck Astromega.
The T9 body is available on chassis by Scania, Volvo, and VDL, though only in Sweden and the British Isles. These motorcoaches are referred to as Alizee (single deck) and Astrobel (double deck).
(The European T9 series should not be confused with the T9 series in the United States market, which corresponds with the European T8 New Look.)
TX series touring coaches
At Busworld 2011 in Kortrijk, Belgium, Van Hool presented the successor to the T9 series. The new series is called TX.
newA series transit buses In 2001, Van Hool introduced the newA series transit buses, replacing the A series. It featured a new body design and many other changes. A complete family was developed, with different length and configurations.
ExquiCity BRT solution
In April 2011, Van Hool launched the ExquiCity platform, aimed specifically at the BRT market. The bus has the styling and comfort of a tram, with the flexibility and cost of a bus. The ExquiCity was launched in two lengths, the single-articulated ExquiCity 18 and the double-articulated ExquiCity 24. Both are available as trolley buses, diesel-electric hybrids, fuel-cell hybrids or full-electric buses.
First orders were placed by the Italian city of Parma (ExquiCity 18 trolley) and the French city of Metz (ExquiCity 24 diesel electric hybrid). A mock-up was presented at the UITP Congress in Dubai. A fleet of ExquiCity 18s commenced service in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 3 September 2018 delivering the bus rapid transit service marketed under the name Glider.
EX series touring coaches
At the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung 2014 in Hanover, Germany, Van Hool presented the new EX series of touring coaches for the European market. It is produced in the Van Hool factory in Skopje, the capital of the North Macedonia.Van Hool presents EX in world premiere at IAA Press release dated July 24, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
Product range (North America) Due to the Buy America Act of 1982, only coach buses were introduced in the United States starting in 1987, and were aimed at the private and charter bus market. Low floor transit coaches by Van Hool were not introduced until 2002. Currently, Van Hool has four separate product lines: the TX series deluxe touring coaches, the CX series touring coaches, the TD925 and TDX double-decker coach, and the A-series transit buses. Van Hool's exclusive dealer in North America is ABC Companies.
In 2018, Van Hool Headquarters announced plans to construct a new manufacturing facility in Morristown, Tennessee designed to produce public transit buses. The facility was planned to open in 2020, and employ 600 workers, capable of making approximately 400 buses annually. In 2022, the planned factory was delayed until 2025, with Van Hool citing the downturn in the market for tour buses due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, construction never began and in April 2024, Van Hool declared bankruptcy and was acquired by VDL Groep and GRW.
Discontinued products T8 series touring coach The T815 was first introduced to the United States market in 1987. Later subsequent models are collectively known as the T8 series. The earliest use Cummins L10 diesels. Later versions use Cummins M11 diesels. It was available in length versions.
T9 series touring coach T9 series are almost identical to the T8 series visually, and are largely identical mechanically as well, except for incremental updates. Later models in the T9 series have larger suspension airbags, as well as front disc brakes instead of drum brakes. Van Hool's VIN consider T8 and T9 to be the same family. It was available as T940 or extended T945 versions.
A3 transit bus series