View source for North American Bus Industries

{{Short description|Defunct American bus manufacturer}}
{{Redirect|NABI|other uses|Nabi (disambiguation)}}
{{disputed|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox company
| name = North American Bus Industries, Inc.
| logo = NABI Bus Logo.svg
| logo_size = 110px
| type = 
| genre = 
| founded = 1992
| defunct = 2015
| fate = Acquired by [[New Flyer Industries]], brand and products retired
| location_city = [[Anniston, Alabama]]
| location_country = U.S.
| location = 
| locations = 
| area_served = 
| key_people = 
| industry = [[Automotive industry|Automotive]]
| products = [[Transit bus]]es
| services = 
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| assets = 
| equity = 
| owner = 
| num_employees = 
| parent = [[Cerberus Capital Management]] (2006–2013)<br>[[New Flyer Industries]] (2013–15)
| divisions = 
| subsid = 
| slogan = 
| homepage = 
| footnotes = 
| intl = 
}}

'''North American Bus Industries, Inc.''' ('''NABI''') was a manufacturer of heavy-duty [[transit bus]]es with its headquarters, bus manufacturing and assembly operations, located in [[Anniston, Alabama]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/about |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717124448/http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/about |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2014 |title=About NABI Bus | access-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> Its products ranged from 31-feet to 60-feet in length, and were sold to operators throughout the [[United States]] and [[Puerto Rico]]. NABI's U.S. operations also include an aftermarket parts division in [[Delaware, Ohio]] (at the former [[Flxible]] factory),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/nabi-parts |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140319205409/http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/nabi-parts |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 March 2014 |title=Aftermarket Parts |access-date=21 May 2013 }}</ref> and an after-sales service center at [[Mira Loma, California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/service |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140319205331/http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/service |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 March 2014 |title=Customer Service |access-date=21 May 2013 }}</ref>

The company was acquired by [[New Flyer|New Flyer Industries]] in 2013,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newflyer.com/rss/439-new-flyer-confirms-the-successful-closing-of-north-american-bus-industries,-inc-acquisition-and-related-financing-transactions |date=June 21, 2013 |title=New Flyer Confirms the Successful Closing of North American Bus Industries, Inc. Acquisition and Related Financing Transactions |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> which in 2015 discontinued production of NABI's product lines at the Anniston plant.<ref name="newflyer.com">{{cite web|date=June 24, 2014|title=New Flyer to Focus on Xcelsior® as Single Heavy-Duty and BRT Transit Bus Platform|url=http://newflyer.com/index/news-app/story.168|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314021742/http://newflyer.com/index/news-app/story.168|archive-date=2016-03-14|access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref>

== History ==
[[Ikarus (Hungarian company)|Ikarus]] Body and Coach Building Works of [[Budapest, Hungary]] (Ikarus Hungary) was a very large bus manufacturer having multiple plants in Hungary, with a production output during the 1980s of over 13,000 buses per year.<ref name="wsj-1984">{{cite news|last=Anders|first=George|author-link=George Anders|title=Soviet Bloc Bus Builder Hits Bumpy Road in U.S.|date=March 28, 1984|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] (Eastern edition)|page=1}}</ref><ref name="janes1986">Bushell, Chris; and Stonham, Peter (eds.) (1986).  ''Jane's Urban Transport Systems 1986'', pp. 484–486.  London: [[Jane's Information Group|Jane's Publishing Company]].  {{ISBN|0-7106-0826-8}}.</ref> In the 1980s, Ikarus Hungary entered strategic partnerships with U.S. and Canadian assemblers to sell its [[Ikarus 280]] [[articulated bus]] to the United States and Canadian transit markets as the [[Crown-Ikarus 286]] (with [[Crown Coach]] in Los Angeles) and [[Orion-Ikarus 286|Orion-Ikarus 286 / Orion III]] (with [[Ontario Bus Industries]] in Mississauga, Ontario), respectively. Under these partnerships, partially finished rolling chassis were shipped from Hungary for local fitment of seats and drivetrains compatible with domestic transit fleets. Both partnerships were dissolved by the late 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a1703371/hungarian-bus-served-american-cities-height-cold-war/ |title=This Hungarian bus served American cities at the height of the Cold War |author=Ramey, Jay |date=August 3, 2018 |work=Autoweek |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| image1 = AC Transit 3122.JPG
| caption1 = [[AC Transit]] 3122, a NABI 416 produced in 1998
| image2 = SanTrans route 292 bus at Temporary Transbay Terminal, December 2017.JPG
| caption2 = [[SamTrans]] 154, the last NABI 436 ever produced
}}
Ikarus Hungary formed another partnership in 1989 with Union City Body Company, Inc. (UCBC) of [[Union City, Indiana]] to produce American variants of the [[Ikarus 415]] and [[Ikarus 435]] transit bus for the United States market as the [[NABI SFW|416 and 436]], respectively. The partnership was incorporated as Ikarus USA, Inc. (Ikarus USA), which was responsible for assembling and marketing the buses to the United States market, with operations based in [[Anniston, Alabama]]. UCBC declared bankruptcy in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.curbsideclassic.com/bus-stop-classic/bus-stop-classics-american-ikarusnorth-american-bus-industries-from-hungary-to-alabama/ |title=Bus Stop Classics: American-Ikarus/North American Bus Industries — From Hungary to Alabama ... |author=Brophy, Jim |date=July 23, 2016 |website=Curbside Classic |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://utahrails.net/ajkristopans/IKARUS2.php |title=Ikarus / NABI |author=Krisopans, Andre |date=October 27, 2014 |website=Utah Rails |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>

===American Ikarus, 1992&ndash;1996===
The company that is now known as NABI was incorporated in the US, in the state of Alabama, in November 1992, under the name '''American Ikarus, Inc.''' (American Ikarus). It was incorporated by the First [[Hungary]] Fund Limited, (FHF) a [[Jersey]] equity investment fund.<ref>{{cite web|title=North American Bus Industries Group|url=http://www.industrytoday.com/article_view.asp?ArticleID=86|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426012824/https://www.industrytoday.com/article_view.asp?ArticleID=86|archive-date=April 26, 2023|access-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> Its incorporation was accompanied by FHF's concurrent formation of a Hungarian holding company, North American Bus Industries, Kft. (NABI Hungary) owning the shares of American Ikarus. This arrangement—with American Ikarus as a subsidiary of NABI Hungary--(collectively The Group) resulted in FHF's investment being Hungarian-based—in alignment with FHF's objective of investing in business opportunities resulting from the political and economic changes then taking place in Hungary. American Ikarus simultaneously acquired the assets of Ikarus USA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.busexplorer.com/WorldBus/Ikarus-Text.html |title=Chapter 12: Ikarus Buses |access-date=21 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612192224/http://busexplorer.com/WorldBus/Ikarus-Text.html |archive-date=12 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name=BBJ-2001>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2001/04/16/focus6.html |title=Hungary's largest U.S. business investment |author=Howard, Jessica |date=April 15, 2001 |work=Birmingham Business Journal |access-date=29 September 2020}}</ref> Such assets included facilities in Alabama, miscellaneous equipment and inventory. Simultaneously with the formation of American Ikarus, the previously established strategic alliance between Ikarus USA and Ikarus Hungary was assigned to the newly incorporated American Ikarus.

At the time of incorporation, it was planned that American Ikarus would purchase unfinished buses from Ikarus Hungary under its strategic alliance, ship them to the U.S. and perform final assembly at its Alabama plant.<ref name=BBJ-2001/> This arrangement provided certain engineering and manufacturing benefits and allowed compliance with [[Buy America Act|"Buy America"]] requirements of the [[Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982]] which established American content requirements for federally assisted [[rolling stock]] procurements, including transit buses. Such vehicles had already been designed by Ikarus Hungary specifically for the U.S. market, with unfinished buses having been produced previously by Ikarus Hungary under the same strategic alliance with Ikarus USA. These vehicles were the Model 416 forty-foot standard-floor transit bus and its larger sibling, the Model 436 sixty-foot articulated transit bus.

The plant in [[Anniston, AL]] opened in 1993 under this business arrangement, performing final assembly operations, delivery and after-sales service using unfinished [[Knock-down kit|knock-down]] buses produced in Hungary.<ref name=BBJ-2001/> Delivery of unfinished buses was accomplished by rail shipment from Budapest to [[Bremerhaven]], then shipment by roll-on/roll-off ocean vessels to [[Charleston, SC]], and then by delivery on flatbed trailers to Anniston, AL.

At the time of incorporation, Ikarus' business was in decline due to political and economic changes following the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall|fall of the Berlin Wall]] in 1989. Such decline continued after the group's formation, resulting in the shutdown of one of Ikarus plants in Budapest. This plant was purchased from Ikarus Hungary by NABI, Kft. which simultaneously entered a license agreement with Ikarus Hungary allowing NABI, Kft. to produce its own unfinished buses in Budapest, and deliver them to its subsidiary in Alabama for final assembly and delivery to U.S. customers. In 1994, the group began use of this manufacturing arrangement with no further involvement of Ikarus Hungary, other than its role as licensor of the Model 416 and Model 436 standard-floor transit bus designs; the license was dropped in 1996.<ref name=BBJ-2001/>

===North American Bus Industries, 1996&ndash;2006===
In 1996, the company began aggressive expansion of its aftermarket parts department which had previously supplied service parts only for its own products. This expansion was accomplished by hiring individuals previously employed within the aftermarket parts organization of the defunct Flxible Corporation, which had recently discontinued transit bus manufacturing and aftermarket parts operations in [[Ohio]]. Once hired, this group leased facilities in Ohio, and began to expand the sale of aftermarket parts to operators of competing makes of buses.

Also in 1996, American Ikarus, Inc. was renamed '''North American Bus Industries, Inc.''' due to the dissolution of its affiliation with Ikarus Hungary some years earlier, and because the company was easily and incorrectly confused with the no longer related Ikarus Hungary, which had fallen into further distress due to continued decline of its European markets.

In 1997, NABI Kft. was re-registered in Hungary from a [[limited liability company]] to NABI, Rt., a [[joint stock company]], allowing it to raise capital via public offering. Thereafter, in August of that year, the company raised $US 27.1&nbsp;million in a public offering, with its shares listed on the [[Budapest Stock Exchange]]. FHF retained approximately 56% of NABI, Rt. shares, with the remainder of the shares publicly traded.

[[File:CAT NABI 40LFW.jpg|thumb|First generation [[NABI LFW|NABI 40-LFW]] for [[Citizens Area Transit]], serving Las Vegas; note styling is similar to preceding standard-floor 416 and 436]]
Also in 1997, NABI Hungary was certified as conforming to the [[ISO 9001]] quality and organizational standard, with NABI, Inc. becoming ISO 9001 certified the following year.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=1998 |title=NABI announces ISO 9001 registration |date=December 2, 1998 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512075524/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=1998 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1998, The Group also implemented the use of BaaN, an integrated enterprise resource planning system. Additionally, 1998 marked the first delivery of NABI's new, 40-foot low-floor [[NABI LFW|Model 40-LFW]] transit bus. (35-foot and 31-foot variants of this product were later derived). NABI announced it had won the first contract for the 40-LFW in January 1997, awarded by the cities of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]], both in Arizona.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/New/pr0112.htm |title=Phoenix and Tempe, AZ order first NABI low floor buses |date=January 21, 1997 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990202173016/http://www.nabiusa.com/New/pr0112.htm |archive-date=February 2, 1999 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

NABI debuted the [[NABI CompoBus|CompoBus]] at the City Transport Exhibit 99 in [[Toronto, Ontario]], on May 25, 1999. The CompoBus used a one-piece composite body made from fiberglass and plastic resin, built for NABI by TPI Composites, Inc. in [[Warren, Rhode Island]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new/pr990525.htm |title=Composite fiberglass bus makes its debut in Toronto |date=May 25, 1999 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021021080847/http://www.nabiusa.com/new/pr990525.htm |archive-date=October 21, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref> NABI previously had announced its partnership with TPI in 1998, adding that three composite-bodied products would be developed: 30-foot and 40-foot low-floor transit buses, and a 45-foot motor coach.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/New/pr060498.htm |title=NABI announces new composite bus family project |date=June 4, 1998 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990203021621/http://www.nabiusa.com/New/pr060498.htm |archive-date=February 3, 1999 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The first CompoBus orders were placed by transit agencies serving [[Santa Monica, California]] (40C-LFW) and Phoenix (45C-LFW) in November 1999,<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new/pr991117.htm |title=Santa Monica & Phoenix order NABI composite buses |date=November 17, 1999 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021205083227/http://www.nabiusa.com/new/pr991117.htm |archive-date=December 5, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and 100 CompoBus models had been delivered five years later, by November 2004.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2004&n=749 |title=NABI's 100th CompoBus |date=November 1, 2004 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512081358/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2004&n=749 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2000, The Group announced its move into the European bus market with NABI, Inc.'s debt-financed acquisition of all of the shares of the [[Optare]] Group, (Optare) of [[Leeds]], U.K. for $US 28.5&nbsp;million, making Optare a NABI, Inc. subsidiary.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new/pr000119.htm |title=NABI acquires UK's Optare Holdings Ltd. |date=January 19, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021205083659/http://www.nabiusa.com/new/pr000119.htm |archive-date=December 5, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Anticipated benefits included immediate participation in the European market as well as eventual European market participation with a new, composite-structured bus then under development. Plans also included the derivation of certain left-hand-drive Optare products for U.S. and Hungarian markets.

Although NABI had previously expanded its Anniston facility in 1999 (new research and development center)<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=1999&n=149 |title=NABI opens new research & development center |date=March 31, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512081507/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=1999&n=149 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and 2000 (new bus assembly plant),<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2000&n=143 |title=NABI Opens New Plant at U.S. Headquarters in Anniston, AL |date=March 29, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080343/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2000&n=143 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 2001 marked additional and substantial factory expansion, taking the Anniston plant from {{convert|110000|to|250000|ft2}} (under roof). 2001 also marked derivation of the 30-foot NABI Model 30-LFN which was a left-hand-drive derivative of the recently developed Optare "Solo" being sold in the UK. Sale of these small low-floor buses commenced to private and public operators within the U.S. An additional outgrowth of the Optare acquisition was the sale of a small number of full-size (11&nbsp;meter) NABI Model 700SE's the following year in Hungary. These were derived from the [[Optare Excel]], and were produced on [[Scania AB|Scania]] chassis.

[[File:LACMTA 7992.jpg|thumb|left|[[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|LA Metro]] [[NABI CompoBus|NABI 40C-LFW "CompoBus"]]; styling is nearly identical to 40-LFW]]
In 2002, NABI Hungary completed construction of a new plant in [[Kaposvár]], Hungary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xpatloop.com/news/9701 |title=Nabi unveils new factory in Kaposvar |date=7 January 2002 |access-date=21 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628193000/http://www.xpatloop.com/news/9701 |archive-date=2014-06-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This new plant was purpose-built for the manufacture of the CompoBus, a new, composite-structured low-floor bus. Production of CompoBuses began in earnest in 2003, with a significantly greater portion of this particular NABI product produced in Hungary than with other NABI products.

This new CompoBus manufacturing arrangement—unique for NABI—resulted in these buses being short of the FTA's normal Buy America requirements. However, NABI had sought Buy America waivers associated with the development of this new bus model, and had been granted two such waivers by the FTA. The first waiver allowed NABI to assemble its CompoBus outside the United States, and the second allowed it to count the composite chassis/frame as domestic for purposes of calculating the domestic component content of the vehicle. Both waivers applied to FTA funded procurements for which solicitations were issued within two years of the date of the waiver letter. That same year NABI introduced the 60-LFW, a new 60-foot low-floor articulated derivative of its 40-LFW model developed some years earlier.
[[File:Metro Liner from the Surfliner.jpg|thumb|NABI 60-BRT, on LA Metro's [[G Line (Los Angeles Metro)|G Line]] busway, which it was designed for]]
In October 2004, NABI unveiled the new [[NABI BRT|Model 60-BRT]], which had been in development since early 2003.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2003&n=607 |title=Los Angeles Board Votes to Award Contract to NABI for 60-Foot BRT Vehicles |date=February 27, 2003 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512081052/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2003&n=607 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in response to LA Metro's request for a 60-foot low-floor [[articulated bus]] with rail-like styling for use on [[G Line (Los Angeles Metro)|its new bus rapid transit route]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2004&n=744|title=NABI and LA unveil new 60-BRT|date=October 18, 2004|publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512081408/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2004&n=744|archive-date=May 12, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> Delivery of production versions began the following year, and a shorter, 42-foot derivative was eventually produced, making its debut at the [[American Public Transportation Association]] Bus & Paratransit Conference in May 2006.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2006&n=833 |title=NABI Debuts Stylized Bus Model 42-BRT at the APTA Conference |date=May 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061126042501/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2006&n=833 |archive-date=November 26, 2006 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. }}</ref>

After continuing disappointing financial results through 2004, NABI, Inc. sold its Optare subsidiary in 2005,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bet.hu/newkibdata/116579/_1_NAB060428AR02EN.pdf |title=NABI - 2005 Annual Report |date=28 February 2006 |access-date=21 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000903/http://bet.hu/newkibdata/116579/_1_NAB060428AR02EN.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> and it also idled its composite bus production facility in Kaposvar, laying off 23% of its workforce in Hungary. The shutdown was due to uncertain future demand for the CompoBus and the weakened U.S. dollar. Also, in December 2005, the FTA refused to extend the previously granted waivers exempting the CompoBus from Buy America requirements.

===Under Cerberus, 2006&ndash;2013===
In early 2006, NABI entered a preliminary agreement with affiliates of [[Cerberus Capital Management]], L.P. (Cerberus) for the acquisition of all of the shares of NABI, Inc. and the business assets of NABI Rt. This transaction was completed in February 2006.<ref name="apta.com">{{cite web|date=4 September 2006|title=NABI Acquires Optima Bus; Cerberus to Acquire Blue Bird|url=http://www.apta.com/passengertransport/Documents/archive_3152.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030102638/http://www.apta.com/passengertransport/Documents/archive_3152.htm|archive-date=October 30, 2015|access-date=21 May 2013|publisher=American Public Transit Association}}</ref> (Concurrently, the Hungarian company that was not being acquired changed its name to ExBus, relegating itself to asset management unrelated to NABI.)<ref>{{cite web|title=Budapest Business Journal|url=http://courses.wcupa.edu/rbove/eco343/050Compecon/Centeur/Hungary/050117business.txt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060912153009/http://courses.wcupa.edu/rbove/eco343/050Compecon/Centeur/Hungary/050117business.txt|archive-date=September 12, 2006}}</ref>

In August 2006, NABI announced its acquisition of [[Optima Bus Corporation]] in [[Wichita, Kansas]] (Optima) for an undisclosed amount. A short time later, it was announced that Cerberus had also acquired [[Blue Bird Corporation]] of Ft. Valley, Georgia (Blue Bird) thus rendering it a "sister" to NABI, Inc.<ref name="apta.com"/>

In June 2007, Optima's operations in Wichita were shut down, and work-in-process, inventory and tooling for Optima's products were moved to NABI's Anniston plant. At generally the same time, the work-in-process, tooling and inventory for Blue Bird's commercial buses were acquired by NABI and was also transferred to NABI, Inc.'s plant. NABI, Inc. elected to retain the names these products, and began producing these smaller buses at its Anniston, AL plant, thus adding Optima and Blue Bird brands to its product portfolio.

Generally at this same time, NABI also shifted the manufacture of its standard-floor model 416 unfinished buses from Hungary to newly leased facilities adjoining its existing Anniston plant. Under this arrangement, standard-floor body structures and other vehicle elements are fabricated at the adjoining facility and are then towed a short distance into NABI's final assembly operation.

[[File:LACMTA 8063.jpg|thumb|left|[[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|LA Metro]] NABI 45C-LFW "CompoBus"; the weight savings of the composite body meant this 45-foot bus weighed approximately the same as a conventional metal-bodied 40-foot bus.]]
In late 2007, NABI began re-commissioning its CompoBus production plant in Kaposvar, simultaneously shifting certain assembly operations to Anniston and thus rendering the CompoBus compliant with Buy America requirements. CompoBus deliveries resumed in 2008 without the need for further waivers from the FTA. Los Angeles County Metro placed the first order for revived CompoBus production in July 2008.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabusind.com/news/070808%20LA%20CompoBus.pdf |title=North American Bus Industries to resume production of 'CompoBus' |date=July 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711045227/http://www.nabusind.com/news/070808%20LA%20CompoBus.pdf |archive-date=July 11, 2009 }}</ref>

2008 also saw additional expansion at NABI's Anniston plant with the installation of a new, robotic paint system. This expansion took the Anniston plant to approximately 1/3&nbsp;million square feet under roof, not including adjacent leased facilities used for manufacture of standard-floor unfinished buses.

Attempts to integrate the production of the smaller Optima and Blue Bird buses into NABI's operations eventually proved disruptive, and in 2010, NABI discontinued the production of its Optima and Blue Bird brand commercial bus products.

[[File:CAT NABI Hybrid 2008.jpg|thumb|right|Facelifted (second-generation) NABI 40-LFW for [[Citizens Area Transit]], serving Las Vegas; note small quarter windows between windshield and side window/front door.]]
The following year, NABI commissioned a new fabrication shop at its plant, equipped with robotic laser cutting equipment as well as tube bending and other new fabrication equipment. At approximately the same time, new body assembly tooling for low-floor buses was installed at its adjoining body fabrication facility. With these changes in place, NABI shifted the manufacturing of its metal-structured low-floor unfinished buses from Hungary to the same facility that had already begun manufacturing NABI's standard-floor products in Alabama a few years earlier.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/10039898/nabi-production-now-entirely-in-u-s |title=NABI production now entirely in U.S. |date=May 14, 2013 |magazine=Metro Magazine |access-date=30 September 2020}}</ref>

Also in 2010, NABI unveiled its new 12-meter Sirius bus at its plant in Kaposvar, Hungary. This new product, produced on an [[MAN SE|MAN]] chassis, was developed for Hungarian public transportation operators.

In 2011, NABI unveiled new styling for its metal-structured low-floor product (''nn''-LFW) and its CompoBus. Restyling of both products was accomplished primarily by using a redesigned front mask, leaving the body structure unchanged from earlier versions of the same models. Also, a 40-foot CompoBus prototype incorporating the new styling was also produced.

NABI utilized various manufacturing arrangements throughout its history. Initially, rolling shells were assembled in Hungary and shipped to Anniston for finishing<ref>{{cite web|title=NABI - North American Bus Industries|url=http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/n/nabi/nabi.htm|access-date=29 September 2020|website=Coachbuilt}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=https://bet.hu/newkibdata/100966/AR01E.pdf|title=Global Bus Innovation: NABI Annual Report and Accounts|date=2001|publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929161915/https://bet.hu/newkibdata/100966/AR01E.pdf|archive-date=September 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|7–9}} until 2011, when it began transitioning to produce its metal-structured products in Anniston; the transition was complete in late 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=May 14, 2013|title=NABI production now entirely in U.S.|url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/10039898/nabi-production-now-entirely-in-u-s|magazine=Metro Magazine|access-date=30 September 2020}}</ref> These metal-structured buses consisted of the standard-floor model 416 (40-foot length), the low-floor Model LFW (produced in 31-foot, 35-foot and 40-foot lengths) and the low-floor BRT (produced in 42-foot and 60-foot lengths). CompoBus shells were assembled at Kapsovár and finished in Anniston until the end of production in 2013.<ref name="Metro-05-pt1">{{cite magazine|author=Henke, Cliff|date=April 1, 2005|title=The Death of a Radical Idea|url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/10008720/the-death-of-a-radical-idea|magazine=Metro Magazine}}</ref><ref name="Metro-08">{{cite magazine|author=Henke, Cliff|date=September 23, 2008|title=CompoBus: Reviving a Radical Idea|url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/10008304/compobus-reviving-a-radical-idea|magazine=Metro Magazine|access-date=30 September 2020}}</ref>

===Under New Flyer, 2013&ndash;2015===
On April 30, 2013, after completing a large order of CompoBuses for the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]], NABI produced its final CompoBus in Hungary. At the same time, NABI elected to discontinue promotion of its Hungarian Sirius bus, thus ending all production in Hungary and relegating all manufacturing and final assembly activities to its facilities in the USA.

[[File:DART Irving Conv Ctr Sta NABI Bus 39010.jpg|thumb|right|[[Dallas Area Rapid Transit|DART]] NABI 40-LFW Gen III; front quarter-windows have been eliminated. This bus is from the final order assembled at NABI.]]
On June 21, 2013, [[New Flyer Industries]] announced the acquisition of North American Bus Industries, Inc from [[Cerberus Capital Management]], L.P. (Cerberus) for $79 million. The deal was completed later that day. However, New Flyer continued the NABI name for its existing bus products, which continued in production for the time being. This made NABI a subsidiary of New Flyer, using the legal name of '''NABI Bus, LLC'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newflyer.com/index/news-app/story.145 |title=Welcome to New Flyer! |access-date=2013-06-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626063757/http://www.newflyer.com/index/news-app/story.145 |archive-date=2013-06-26 }}</ref> The Blue Bird school bus production assets were not included in the sale to New Flyer; they remain owned by Cerberus.

A second restyling was implemented in March 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com:80/brochures/LFW-Brochure-0314.pdf |title=LFW Gen III |publisher=NABI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702013524/http://www.nabiusa.com/brochures/LFW-Brochure-0314.pdf |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 9, 2020 }}</ref> In June 2014, New Flyer announced that the NABI product line would be discontinued after existing orders are filled. The last bus, a 40-LFW which was built for the [[Dallas Area Rapid Transit]] system, was completed in late October 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dartdallas.dart.org/2015/10/19/dart-nabi-mark-end-of-one-era-with-a-new-beginning/ |title=DART, NABI mark end of one era with a new beginning &#124; DART Daily |access-date=2015-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020034419/http://dartdallas.dart.org/2015/10/19/dart-nabi-mark-end-of-one-era-with-a-new-beginning/ |archive-date=2015-10-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since then, New Flyer has exclusively produced its [[New Flyer Xcelsior|Xcelsior]] heavy-duty transit bus product line at the former NABI Anniston plant, under the new name of '''New Flyer of America, Inc.'''<ref name="newflyer.com"/> New Flyer invested $20&nbsp;million to retool the plant for Xcelsior production in 2015; a second expansion of the plant to {{convert|400000|ft2}}, costing an additional $25&nbsp;million, was announced in September 2017 and opened in November 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2018/11/27/transit-bus-company-unveils-25m-alabama-expansion.html |title=Transit bus company unveils $25M Alabama expansion |author=van der Bijl, Hanno |date=November 27, 2018 |work=Birmingham Business Journal |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

== Models==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 100%;" |
|-
! Model name
! Photo
! Length
! Fuel and propulsion type
! Discontinued
! Notes
! Refs.
|-
! '''[[NABI BRT]]'''
| [[Image:NABI-60-BRT-Allison-Hybrid.JPG|125x125px]]
| {{convert|42|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<br/>{{convert|60|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
| [[CNG]]<br />[[diesel fuel|Diesel]]<br />[[Hybrid electric bus|Diesel-electric hybrid]]<br />[[Gasoline-electric hybrid]]
|2015
|
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/products/brt-42 |title=BRT model information |publisher=nabiusa.com |access-date=2012-11-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140319205433/http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/products/brt-42 |archive-date=2014-03-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=9&link_id=32 |title=General Specifications: 60-BRT |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080626/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=9&link_id=32 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=14&link_id=53 |title=General Specifications: 60-BRT Hybrid |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080830/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=14&link_id=53 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br/><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/88.pdf |title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Inc., Model 60 BRT |date=April 2005 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/131.pdf |title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from NABI, Model 42.5-BRT.01 |date=May 2008 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/BRT%20Brochure.pdf |title=BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221022129/http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/BRT%20Brochure.pdf |archive-date=February 21, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! '''[[NABI LFW]]'''
| [[Image:40-LFW Gen3.JPG|125x125px]]
| {{convert|32|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<br />{{convert|36|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<br />{{convert|40|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<br />{{convert|60|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
|CNG<br />Diesel<br />Diesel-electric hybrid<br />[[Liquefied natural gas|LNG]]
|2015
|
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/products/nabi-lfw |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140319205341/http://www.nabiusa.com/index.php/products/nabi-lfw |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-03-19 |title=LFW model information |publisher=nabiusa.com |access-date=2012-11-27 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=7&link_id=30 |title=General Specifications: 35-LFW |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080920/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=7&link_id=30 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=5&link_id=27 |title=General Specifications: 40-LFW |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080840/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=5&link_id=27 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=8&link_id=31 |title=General Specifications: 60-LFW |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080820/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=8&link_id=31 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/283.pdf |title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Model 40 LFW |date=June 1998 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/309.pdf |title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Model 40LFW CNG |date=February 2000 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><br/><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/39.pdf |title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from NABI, Model 60 LFW K-1 |date=June 2002 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/70.pdf |title=Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Inc., Model 40 LFW-CNG |date=October 2003 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/438.pdf |title=Federal Transit Bus Test, Model 40-LFW, Submitted for Testing in Service-Life Category 12 Year / 500,000 Miles |date=April 2014 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><br/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/LFW%20Brochure.pdf |title=LFW (Low Floor Bus) |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221022125/http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/LFW%20Brochure.pdf |archive-date=February 21, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
![[NABI SFW|416<br />(40-SFW)]]
|[[IMAGE:NABI-416.JPG|125px]]
|{{convert|40|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
|CNG<br />Diesel<br />Diesel-electric hybrid
|2014
|Derived from [[:hu:Ikarus 415|Ikarus 415]].
|<ref>{{cite web|title=General Specifications: 416 standard floor|url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=1&link_id=9|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080757/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=1&link_id=9|archive-date=May 12, 2006|publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/169.pdf|title=STURAA Test: Ikarus 40' Heavy Duty Bus from Ikarus USA Inc|date=July 1990|publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute|access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/187.pdf|title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from Ikarus USA, Inc., Model 416.03|date=October 1992|publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute|access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><br /><ref>{{cite report|url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/384.pdf|title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Inc., Model 416.15|date=July 2011|publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute|access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=416 (Standard Floor)|url=http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/416%20Brochure.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220224847/http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/416%20Brochure.pdf|archive-date=February 20, 2011|publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc.}}</ref>
|-
![[NABI CompoBus|CompoBus<br />(4''x''C-LFW)]]
|[[File:CompoBus45.tif|LACMTA 45-Foot CompoBus|125px]]
|{{convert|40|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<br />{{convert|45|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
|CNG<br />Diesel<br />Diesel-electric hybrid
|2013
|Operators include [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Los Angeles Metro]] and [[Valley Metro]].
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Model 40C-LFW CompoBUS specifications|url=http://www.nabiusa.com/composite/specs.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021007081137/http://www.nabiusa.com/composite/specs.htm|archive-date=October 7, 2002|publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/142.pdf|title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Inc., Model 40C LFW CNG|date=November 2000|publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute|access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/57.pdf|title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Model CLFW-CNG (Compo)|date=September 2003|publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute|access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Metro 45C|url=http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/Metro%2045C%20Brochure.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220224844/http://www.nabiusa.com/nabi/Metro%2045C%20Brochure.pdf|archive-date=February 20, 2011|publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc.}}</ref>
|-
!Sirius
|[[Image:NABI Sirius Suburban s.jpg|125px]]
|{{convert|42|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
|CNG<br />Diesel<br />Diesel-electric hybrid
|2013
|Designed for the European market.
|<ref>{{cite web|date=2012-04-27|title=Sirius model information (Hungarian)|url=http://www.nabi.hu/oldal/NABI_Sirius|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102124322/http://www.nabi.hu/oldal/NABI_Sirius|archive-date=2012-11-02|access-date=2012-11-27|publisher=Nabi.hu}}</ref>
|-
! [[NABI SFW|436<br />(60-SFW)]]
| [[File:CAT NABI 436 530-564.JPG|125px]]
| {{convert|60|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
| Diesel
| 2008
| Derived from [[:hu:Ikarus 435|Ikarus 435]]. The last set of buses were built in 2002 for [[SamTrans]].
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=11&link_id=35 |title=General Specifications: 436 standard floor |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512080714/http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=1&bus_id=11&link_id=35 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/178.pdf |title=STURAA Test: Heavy-Duty Articulated 12 Year Bus from Ikarus USA, Inc. |date=June 1991 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/46.pdf |title=Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Model 436.10 |date=October 2002 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
! 30-LFN
| [[File:Miami 30LFN Curb Front.jpg|125px]]
| {{convert|30|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
| Diesel
| 2005
| A badge-engineered [[Optare Solo]]. Discontinued after NABI sold Optare.
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/midibus/30lfn_specs.html |title=Model 30-LFN Stainless Steel Bus Specifications |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021205134135/http://www.nabiusa.com/midibus/30lfn_specs.html |archive-date=December 5, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://apps.altoonabustest.psu.edu/buses/reports/72.pdf |title=STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Inc. / Optare Group, Model 30-LFN |date=April 2004 |publisher=Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
! NABI-Optare 700 SE
| [[File:NABI-Optare 700 SE.jpg|125px]]
| {{convert|40|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
| Diesel 
| 2000s
| A [[badge-engineered]] [[Optare Excel]], designed for the European market.
| <ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2003&n=635 |title=NABI Group Introduces New Bus Model in Hungary |date=July 24, 2003 |publisher=North American Bus Industries, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512081033/http://www.nabiusa.com/new.cfm?y=2003&n=635 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Buses}}
{{commons category|NABI buses}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19981205062456/http://www.nabiusa.com/ NABI Bus]
*[https://archive.today/20130222092837/http://community-2.webtv.net/ajkristopans/IKARUS/index.html Unofficial delivery list of Ikarus USA, American Ikarus, and NABI buses]

{{North American bus builders}}

[[Category:Defunct bus manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Hybrid electric bus manufacturers]]
[[Category:Natural gas vehicles]]
[[Category:Companies based in Anniston, Alabama]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1989]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Alabama]]
[[Category:2015 disestablishments in Alabama]]
[[Category:Defunct manufacturing companies based in Alabama]]
[[Category:Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:2013 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:American subsidiaries of foreign companies]]