The UK-based magazine Route One, one of the leading bus media in the country, introduced Yutong’s high-end coach GT12 in right-hand drive form in detail on August 22, 2018, which would be launched in UK very soon. The following words are the excerption from the article.

The GT12 is set to take Yutong into a new area of the UK market, with touring work being what the high-specification will be targeted at as; two axle, 12.2m comes first followed by 12.8m and tri-axle.

Yutong’s long-promised GT12 coach broke cover in right-hand drive form last week in China. The first example for the UK will be shipped soon and it is set to generate major interest when it makes its formal debut at Euro Bus Expo (EBE) on 30 October-1 November.

Importer Pelican Bus and Coach has high hopes for the GT12. The first is 12.2m and has 53 seats and a centre sunken toilet to demonstrate the maximum capacity at that length. In the longer term, the 12.2m variant will be marketed as a 51-seater.

To complement that, Pelican and Yutong have already discussed adding further models to the line-up. The Chinese manufacturer is working to make a 12.8m version viable within UK weight limits. A tri-axle will follow.

Also on the drawing board is a slightly lower-height example. Currently the GT12 is 3.81m tall, but a 3.60m option is planned.

Pelican is aiming the GT12 at the touring market. It is of a higher specification than the existing TC12, which will continue to form part of the UK landscape.

USB charging points are provided for every passenger, while 240v sockets are at alternate rows. Kiel seats are an option, but they add a considerable amount to the price.

A high-specification entertainment system is fitted that incorporates two monitors, while the passenger service units are of a very distinctive design. They have a large reading light and an air-conditioning vent.

The driver benefits from a keyless ignition, and the dashboard is made up of a large LCD screen. As a result, there are no fixed dials or gauges. Instead, the speedometer, tachometer and other readings are created virtually as required. The cab is comparable with any European coach model’s, and it is a particular strongpoint of the GT12.

Externally, the first UK GT12 has manually-operated luggage locker doors and it includes an area behind the offside rear wheel for the driver’s cleaning equipment. A nearside radiator is fitted, with a tray below it to prevent accumulation of road dirt.

Pelican has specified the MX-11 engine rated at 450bhp and 2,300Nm of torque. Both are high figures for a two-axle coach.

An order for the first production right-hand drive GT12s is currently being finalised by Pelican. Much will depend on the response generated by the demonstrator at EBE; the first of this initial batch will leave China in Q1 2019.