The Neobus Thunder is a family of micro and midi bus bodies built by the Brazilian coachbuilder Neobus in Caxias do Sul. The name was first used in 1997, came back in 2002 on a new generation, and in 2021 it still marked the company’s two smallest models.
Neobus Thunder at a glance
| Maker | Neobus (San Marino Neobus), Caxias do Sul, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Body type | micro and midi buses |
| Thunder Evolution | 1997–1999 |
| Thunder | 2002–2006 |
| Thunder Boy | 2002–2005 |
| Thunder Plus | 2005–2016 |
| Thunder + | 2005–2016 |
| Thunder + II | 2016–2021 |
| Thunder Midi Ore I | 2021 to the present |
| Thunder Onurea PA | 2021 to the present |
There is no Wikipedia article on the Thunder itself; the dates come from the model list in the Portuguese article on Neobus. based on one source.
History of the Neobus Thunder
Neobus was officially founded in 1996 in Guarulhos, but its line of work goes back to Ciferal Paulista, an offshoot of Ciferal set up in 1978 that was renamed Condor in 1981 and Thamco in 1985. In 1999 the company was taken over by San Marino Implementos, which made components for the motor industry, and as San Marino Neobus it moved to Caxias do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul. The Thunder name belongs to the smallest end of that range: the company lists the Thunder family among its micros, and, from 2021, among its midis.
Thunder Evolution (1997–1999)
The first model to carry the name was the Thunder Evolution, a micro bus built for three years at the end of the 1990s, when the company was still working under its own name before the San Marino takeover. After it disappeared from the range the name rested for a few years while Neobus concentrated on full-size urban and intercity bodies.
Thunder, Thunder Boy and Thunder Plus (2002–2016)
The Thunder came back in 2002 as a micro bus and stayed in production until 2006; a shorter relative, the Thunder Boy, was built alongside it from 2002 to 2005. The next generation arrived in 2005 as the Thunder Plus, and the same model also appears in the company’s lists as the Thunder +. It was made until 2016, so for more than a decade it was the smallest body in the Neobus catalogue.
Thunder + II and the 2021 models
A second edition, the Thunder + II, replaced it in 2016 and was built until 2021. In that final year the name was carried over to two new small models, the Thunder Midi Ore I in the midi class and the Thunder Onurea PA among the micros, both listed as current production. They appeared at the end of a long period of change for the company: the Marcopolo group, which already held 45 per cent of Neobus, moved to take the whole business, and in March 2022 the Ciferal company name was brought back while the Neobus brand was kept.
Design and features
- Smallest Neobus bodies: the Thunder family covers micro and midi buses, below the urban Mega and the intercity Spectrum.
- Long-running Plus: the Thunder Plus / Thunder + of 2005–2016 was the longest-lived version of the name.
- Two-generations rhythm: roughly every ten years the model was replaced, in 2005 and again in 2016.
- Still current: the Thunder Midi Ore I and Thunder Onurea PA of 2021 continue the name today.
Neobus Thunder versions
- Thunder Evolution (1997–1999): the first micro bus with the name.
- Thunder (2002–2006): the second generation of the small bus.
- Thunder Boy (2002–2005): a short version sold beside the Thunder.
- Thunder Plus / Thunder + (2005–2016): the long-running third generation.
- Thunder + II (2016–2021): the updated body of the 2010s.
- Thunder Midi Ore I and Thunder Onurea PA (2021–): one midi and one micro model still listed as current.
The Thunder sat below the urban Mega and the intercity Spectrum in the Neobus range. More bodies are in the Neobus collection.
Sources
- Neobus, Portuguese Wikipedia: model list with production years, company history
- Neobus, English Wikipedia: the two companies of the same name
