Noge: Catalan bus and coach bodies from Arbúcies

Noge was a Spanish coachbuilder based in Arbúcies, in the province of Girona, Catalonia. Founded in 1964, it built bus and coach bodies on chassis supplied by European manufacturers and sold them across Western Europe. The original company collapsed in January 2013; its successor, Nogebus, filed for insolvency in 2022 and went into liquidation in August 2023.

Noge at a glance

Noge has no separate English article under that name; the English page is titled Nogebus. The Spanish and French pages supply the details of the model range and the 2013 takeover.

History of the Noge

A fourth coachbuilder in Girona

Noge was founded in 1964 in Arbúcies by Miquel Genabat Puig, a former employee of the coachbuilder Ayats, and Josep Noguera. Indcar, Ayats and Beulas had come before it, which made Noge the fourth coachbuilding company founded in Girona. The firm began with city buses and soon expanded into intercity and luxury coaches. Its products were sold throughout Western Europe.

Growth and the move

In 1978 the workshops moved to the outskirts of the town, which allowed production to be increased. At first the bodies were built mainly on Pegaso chassis; after Spain joined the European Community in 1986 the company turned to chassis from other established makers. In the 1990s it had more than 250 employees and produced an average of 600 vehicles a year. A second assembly plant was set up at Perpignan in southern France in 2001. The founder died in 2010.

Closure and Nogebus

Noge was in creditors’ proceedings from 2011. In January 2013 the factory closed and the last 93 employees were dismissed. Later that year the Catalan company Sartruck acquired the business, and 22 former Noge workers were rehired. Activities restarted in July 2013 under the name Nogebus with 32 employees, aiming at 60–70 coaches a year, first for Spanish operators and later for other European markets. Nogebus kept the Noge brand but dropped the manufacture of city buses. On 17 November 2022 Nogebus filed for insolvency, and in August 2023 it went into liquidation.

Design and features

• Bodies on bought-in chassis: Noge built bus and coach bodies on chassis from Pegaso and later from Volvo, Scania, MAN, Irisbus, Iveco Bus and Daewoo rather than making its own.
• City and airport buses: the Cittour, its low-entry version and the Aertour airport shuttle derived from it, plus the Sprinter midibus on a Mercedes-Benz chassis for up to 22 passengers.
• Touring coach: the flagship of the marque, with more than 3,000 units built since its introduction and sold in H, HD, HDH and Midi versions.
• Titanium: a luxury coach offered in HD and HDH form from 12.00 to 15.00 metres with 55 to 71 seats.
• Special bodies: the company also built motorhome bodies and tourist road trains.

Noge versions

• Cittour: city bus, with a Low Entry version on a lower floor; production abandoned in 2010.
• Aertour: airport shuttle bus for runway-to-terminal work, derived from the Cittour.
• Touring H: intercity version as a 9.40 m midibus on MAN chassis or a 10.50 m bus on Iveco chassis.
• Touring HD: coach in 9.50, 9.90, 12.96, 13.80 and 15.00 m lengths, seating 35 to 71 passengers.
• Touring HDH: luxury coach from 12.00 to 15.00 metres with 55 to 71 passengers.
• Titanium: luxury coach in HD or HDH form, 12.00 to 15.00 metres, 55 to 71 passengers.

The marque is collected on this site under Noge, where photographs of its buses and coaches are grouped together.

Sources

• Nogebus, English Wikipedia: history, products, 2013 relaunch, insolvency
• Noge, Spanish Wikipedia: founders, chassis, model range, Perpignan plant
• Nogebus, French Wikipedia: model details, Touring versions, liquidation of the old company