(30 Oct 2026, 4:07 pm)Malarkey wrote Optare is owned by the Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland, which is part of the Hinduja Group with Switch Mobility being the brand name for it's Electric Buses in the UK but from what I have all names interlink back to Optare just confuse everyone.
Suppose it's good cover up for the mess they have made of the Company since the MetroDecker introduction as essentially since then the there reputation has gone down the swanny and all the Metrodecker EV's have been taken off the road with only a small amount of diesel examples floating about with a few independent operators down south.
Personally don't see them doing anything more in the UK after this and in the interim you have had BYD and Yutong come along who are both doing exceptionally well on UK Imports.
Aye totally, truthfully I don't think the Optare side will exist in a few years time. They already want to shut the factory, there's no products on the market and there hasn't been for years. Once the last Solo's disappear, or enough of them are gone that it's not worthwhile to support them I'll think they'll just shut shop completely and be basically the electric side of Ashok Leyland which got merged to it anyway. Let's be honest something built by China is likely something better than something built by India and what's happened with these Metrodeckers will kill any reputation they've got left.