Güleryüz Karoseri Otomotiv Sanayi ve Tic. A.Ş, better known as Güleryüz, is a Turkish coachbuilder

Coachbuilder

A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...

 based in Bursa, which started the business by repairing coach bodies in 1967. The workshop run by a father and his three sons turned into a company in 1982.

History

The company maintained its activities by manufacturing bus bodies on different chassis supplied by Mercedes, MAN, Renault, which were with engines installed on rear overhangs. At that time, such buses were manufactured for the needs of different state-owned organizations and private companies, as well as the armed forces.

In 1991, the company started the production of double decker buses, using chassises supplied by Volvo

Volvo

AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...

 and DAF

DAF

-Science, nature and technology:* Decay accelerating factor, a protein involved in the complement system* Delayed auditory feedback, a device used to delay a person's voice to their own ear, which reduces stuttering and cluttering...

.

In 1993, manufacture of luxury coaches on 12- or 15 m-long chassis of Volvo and DAF began, and these coaches were exported to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

At the beginning of 1999, the management of Güleryüz decided to continue with manufacturing of buses under company's own brand, and in 2000, the production of Cobra buses with own brand and accumulated own assets started, recording significant success in very short time. As of December 2007, the brand has established itself among the leading competitors for the inner city transportation in Turkey.

In April 2006, management of Güleryüz decided to expand production capacity, investing in a new facility covering a total area of 61.000 m², of which 28.000 m² makes indoor space, where serial production has started in July 2007.

"Güleryüz" (Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

) means "Smiling Face" in English, which makes an amusing naming of their major model as: "Smiling Face Cobra."

External links

• Güleryüz website