The new Solaris Urbino 12 electric bus has been awarded Bus of the Year 2016 in Spain. The awards has been given by the Spanish trade magazine Viajeros. The official awarding ceremony took place in Madrid. The jury was composed by representatives of the most important public transport companies in Spain as well as by local experts in the automotive field. The jury paid attention to such parameters as reliability and environmental friendliness. Emission-free and clean, the 12-metre Urbino 12 electric bus was premiered at 2015 Kortrijk Busworld. The electrically powered Solaris bus can be fitted with different kinds of batteries of various capacities. Solaris offers many configurations also for charging systems: plug-in, pantograph or inductive charging systems depending on the infrastructure of customer. The Bus of the Year title in Spain is a further success of Solaris on electromobility. Currently Solaris battery-powered vehicles are running in Austria, Germany, Sweden and Poland. In the nearest future electric Solaris buses will start operation in Barcelona. Additionally the awarded model of the new Urbino has been tested in Paris and soon will be on service in Hamburg and Hannover, Germany, as well as in Tampere, Finland.

The GT Radial GAU861 is a tire for all positions developed for city buses by Giti Tire. Recently the tire achieved the "three-peak mountain snoflakes" certification (3PMSF: three mountain peaks with snow flake). The tire is available in size 275/70 R22.5 for steering axles and drive axles configurations typical for city buses. The M + S label guarantees the excellent performance of traction and braking on snow and in general in winter conditions. Among the plus of GAU861, the protectors of the extra-reinforced side for maximum strength under braking and shock and the tread depth of 20.2 mm for a good mileage and reduced noise for greater passenger comfort. "With the GT Radial brand we are developing a broad portfolio of products for the mid-market and services for fleets, which meets all the needs of passenger transport and meets the growing market demand," says Daria Sala from CUNA, TBR Sales & Marketing Europe Director of Giti Tire. The GT Radial portfolio for the Urban division also includes the GSR225 R Combi Road, available in sizes 19.5" and 22.5" with M + S mark and suitable for use on certified Euro VI vehicles thanks to the recent increase of the load index. They have also been certified 3PMSF and M + S marked, the regional model GAR820 for all position, the GDR619 and GDR638 for alternative drive axle, keying in 17.5 ", and the GDL617, the GDR621 and GT629 for drive axle in 22.5" size.

Between December and January, Indcar delivered half a dozen Strada minibuses to Barcelona-based TMB, the main public transport operator of the Iberian metropolis. Bodied on Sprinter 516 chassis with Euro VI engine, the vehicles have a capacity of six seated passengers and 16 standing. They are fitted with electric lift and USB interface. They have been specially adapted for the metropolitan transport of Barcelona. The versatility offered by the Strada model offers capacities from 16 to 22 seats and can also include up to three wheelchair seats. 7.345 mm long, this model by Indcar is available in urban, intercity, shuttle and school version.

Valeo has signed an agreement with Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG), a listed private equity company, to acquire Spheros, the worldwide leader in air conditioning systems for buses. With annual revenue of around €250 million, Spheros leverages its technological leadership to supply air conditioning systems to all the main bus manufacturers and major fleet operators. It has a worldwide sales network and a vast industrial footprint, with plants in Germany, Finland, Turkey, the United States, Brazil, China and India. The acquisition will allow Valeo to extend its thermal management activities to the vibrant bus market, which is expected to grow by more than 5% annually over the coming years, driven by the expansion of public transportation throughout the world at a time of accelerating urbanization. By joining one of the world's leading thermal systems suppliers for the automotive industry, Spheros, whose margins are higher than Valeo's, will become more competitive in parts procurement and systems design. This external growth project, which is expected to be accretive from the first year, is part of the strategy presented to the Group's shareholders in March 2015 aiming to introduce new growth drivers particularly in CO2 emissions reduction systems. The transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant anti-trust authorities.

On January 4, 2016, TomTom has announced the acquisition of Finder SA, a provider of services for fleet management in Poland. The acquisition is effective since the end of December 2015. "Poland is one of the markets of telematics in the fastest growing in Europe," said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director of TomTom Telematics. "By combining the strength of TomTom Telematics' existing activities with SA Finder, we turn directly to the general telematics market, with strong growth and high potential, establishing also a leading position in Eastern Europe." This acquisition adds further 60,000 subscriptions to the installed base of TomTom Telematics, exceeding the threshold of 600,000 vehicles.