Mellor Orion
| Mellor Orion | |
|---|---|
A 2025 Mellor Orion operated by Diamond North West | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bluebird Vehicles (2011–2014) Mellor Coachcraft (2014–) |
| Production | 2011– |
| Assembly | Scarborough, North Yorkshire; Rochdale, Greater Manchester |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Single-decker bus |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Doors | 1 |
| Floor type | Low-floor |
| Chassis | Fiat Ducato Peugeot Boxer (2013) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 180 bhp (130 kW) Iveco F1AE3481E diesel |
| Electric motor | 1x 96 kW Mellor motor (Orion E) |
| Capacity | 192 kWh (Orion E) |
| Transmission | 8-speed fully automatic 6-speed manual 7.3:1 ratio E-Gear (Orion E) |
| Battery | 2x 96kWh lithium–iron phosphate packs (Orion E) |
| Electric range | 100 mi (160 km) (Orion E) |
| Plug-in charging | 400 volts AC, 32 amps (4.25 hours to full charge) (Orion E) |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 4.890 m (16.04 ft) |
| Length | 7.497 to 7.797 m (24.60 to 25.58 ft) |
| Width | 2.200 m (7.22 ft) |
| Height | 2.645 m (8.68 ft) |
| Kerb weight | 5,000 kg (5.0 t), GVW |
The Mellor Orion (previously known as the Bluebird Orion) is a minibus body manufactured on the Fiat Ducato chassis since 2011. It was introduced by Bluebird Vehicles and since 2014 has been built by Mellor Coachcraft. Several variants are produced, including the long-wheelbase Orion Plus and the fully electric Orion E. In 2021, Mellor launched an updated version known as the Orion Evolution.
An eight-seater private hire taxi variant, known as the Mellor Pico, was launched in 2019 on short-wheelbase Ducato chassis.