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[Cyberider]

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jDbE_EQW2qScFwoROcnqnIXWYvAw

New Flyer picks up US$2.5 billion in bus orders so far this year

1 day ago

WINNIPEG - New Flyer Industries Inc. (TSX:NFI.UN) said Tuesday it has booked orders for US$2.5 billion worth of buses so far in 2007, and its backlog stands at US$3.1 billion, up 72 per cent since the start of the year.

The continent's leading maker of transit buses announced new orders for 1,216 vehicles worth US$670 million, of which 466 buses are firm orders and 750 represent options.

The total number of orders reported by New Flyer in 2007 is 5,102 buses of varying configurations, ranging from 35 to 60 feet (10.7 to 18.3 metres) in length, and with diesel, natural gas and diesel-electric hybrid power plants.

The backlog at the end of October was 7,743 units, up 40 per cent from the start of the year, while the backlog dollar value increased 72 per cent.

New Flyer, which has 2,200 employees at plants in Winnipeg and at St. Cloud and Crookston in Minnesota, said firm orders in the backlog were US$1.3 billion, up from $800 million at the beginning of the year.