The pace of new motorcoach sales slowed substantially during the second quarter of this year as purchases by big public transit agencies came to an end and orders placed late last year for 07 coaches with 06 engines put a crimp in sales during the most recent three-month period.

National Bus Trader magazine, which serves as the industry clearing house for motorcoach sales figures, reported that 603 new coaches were sold in the U.S. and Canada between April 1 and June 30, up 1.7 percent from year-ago second-quarter sales of 593 coaches.

In last years second quarter, new coach sales rose more than 11 percent above second-period 2005 sales.

Nevertheless, the modest second-quarter 07 gain marked the 11th consecutive period that year-over-year quarterly new coach sales have increased. In other words, sales of new motorcoaches have been on an upward spiral since the fourth quarter of 2004.

But while the latest increase barely registered on the Richter Scale, National Bus Trader Editor Larry Plachno found evidence of strength in the private bus sector.

"I would point out that in spite of the fact that public sector sales are down and a few operators ordered coaches early, we still showed a small increase," he said.

"An interesting statistic is that of the seven most popular models this quarter, six are associated more with private-sector sales than with public- sector sales. Of these six models, five showed an increase in sales over the second quarter of 2006," said Plachno.

"Hence, if you look at the actual numbers, private sector sales are doing nicely."

It will be the third and fourth quarters of this year, however, that will pose a much more significant test of the private sector appetite for the more costly 07 coaches equipped with the new reduced-emissions 07 engines.

The seven top-selling new coach models during this years second quarter were: MCI J4500, Van Hool C2045, MCI D4500, Prevost H3-45, MCI D4505, Setra S 417 and Prevost X3-45.

That line-up, which Plachno calls his Hit Parade of Popular Seated Coach Models, was largely unchanged from the first quarter of this year. However, the Nos. 6 and 7 models, Setra S 417 and Prevost X3-45, swapped positions between the first and second quarters with Setra taking the No. 6 spot in the most recent quarter.

The three top-selling models, the J4500, the C2045 and the D4500, captured 54.2 percent of the total market in the second quarter. That compares to 57.3 percent in the first quarter of this year and 55.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. A year ago, the three models captured 60 percent of the market.

The percentage of imported coaches sold during the second quarter also was little changed. Imports came in at 23.9 percent of the total market, compared to 23.4 percent in the first quarter and 23.6 percent in the second quarter of last year.

The percentage of new coaches purchased by Canadian operators during the second quarter was down from a year ago. Canadian sales accounted for 12.9 percent of the total for the 07 second quarter, versus 15.5 percent a year earlier. The first quarter 07 Canadian sales percentage was 14.6 percent.

The private coach sector love affair with the ZF AS-Tronic transmission continued unabated in the second quarter. One indication: Roughly two-thirds of the four top selling coaches during the second quarter were delivered with ZFs, versus Allison automatics in the other third.

ZFs overall market share during the second quarter of this year was 36.8 percent, versus 35.8 percent a year ago. ZFs are not specd for conversion shells or in coaches going to government agencies. They are now available in Setra S 417s.

The motorcoach shell market continued to show signs of strength. A total of 80 conversion shells, or 13.3 percent of the market, were sold in the second quarter. That compares with 66 shells, or 11.1 percent, a year ago. The first-quarter 07 percentage was 14.4 percent.

Questions about National Bus Traders quarterly and annual sales reports should be directed to Plachno at (815) 946-2341, or e-mail lplachno@busmag.com.