Iveco CityClass

The Iveco CityClass is an urban, suburban and peri-urban bus launched by the Iveco bus division in 1997 and renamed Irisbus in 2000. It is the equivalent of Agora in France. It succeeds the Iveco 490 TurboCity UR Green urban bus, later replaced by the Irisbus Citelis. As usual at Iveco, the CityClass is available in two versions: series 491 urban bus and series 591 suburban as well as in various lengths: 10.80 meters, 12 meters and 18 meters articulated. The Iveco CityClass was presented to professionals and the general public in 1995 at the Paris Motor Show. It was marketed with the MY 1997. Renamed the Irisbus in 2000 when the IVECO-RVI bus divisions merged, it remained in production until 2008. A total of 10,000 units were built, including over 7,000 in Italy. The CityClass project was created in the 90s by the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and was presented to the public in 1996 to replace the Iveco TurboCity In 2001 ALTRA, in collaboration with Ansaldo Ricerche, Sapio, International Fuel Cells, Exide, T_V and Centro Ricerche Fiat and with the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Environment as well as Piedmont, developed a version with electric traction powered by hydrogen put into service in Turin on behalf of GTT, and also used for the 2006 Winter Olympics. It was the first Italian hydrogen bus. Under the Iveco brand (1997 - 1999) The Iveco 491 CityClass was manufactured and marketed between 1997 and 2000. Under the Irisbus brand (2000 - 2008) At the end of 1999, the Iveco logo on the CityClass grille was replaced by the Irisbus dolphin and will remain so, in Europe, until 2008. The CityClass model, of which more than 7,000 units have been produced in Italy, is undoubtedly the most distributed urban bus in Europe. In addition to the big Italian cities such as Milan, Rome, Genoa and Turin where its distribution is almost monopolistic, it is in service in all public (and private) transport services in Italy. The CityClass has also found wide outlets abroad: Switzerland, France, Germany, Romania and above all Spain and Greece.