The Renault R 312 is a class of buses produced by the bus division of Renault Trucks from 1987 to 1996. It succeeded the SC 10, which was originally a Saviem design from the 1960s.[1] The R312 is sometimes referred to as the , but this is a generic term for all the Renault variants aimed at urban use.
The 12m long bus is rear-engined, powered by a 6-cylinder Renault turbodiesel engine with a displacement of 9,834 cc available with either 152 kW (207 PS; 204 hp) or 187 kW (254 PS; 251 hp). By placing the engine in the rear, the interior was flat over the vehicle's whole length.
The bus was popular in France, with over 4000 produced, and the Paris RATP operating over 1500 during the 1990s.[2] In Australia, the Renault PR100.3 has the same visual appearance as the R312.
The Heuliez GX317 is closely related, sharing a similar body shape and mechanical arrangement but introducing a low floor capability. As this new model impacted upon sales of the R312, resulting in Renault contracting Heuliez to manufacture Renault powered models. Renault sold 159 of them under the Renault Citybus name in 1995/6,[3] but still featuring the Heuliez badge. In 1996 Renault introduced its own low floor version to replace the R312 and Citybus and was called the Renault Agora (later Irisbus).
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