Higer
Chinese manufacturer of buses, coaches, urban transit vehicles, and selected light commercial vehicles.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Higer is the international brand of Higer Bus Company Limited, a bus and coach manufacturer headquartered in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The company was established in December 1998 and is associated with the Chinese commercial-vehicle manufacturing sector. Its product portfolio is centered on passenger vehicles rather than private cars, covering intercity and luxury coaches, city buses, battery-electric and hybrid buses, hydrogen and natural-gas vehicles, school buses, bus rapid transit vehicles, and selected light-duty commercial vehicles. The company moved quickly from establishment to scaled production. It reported producing its first 1,000 buses in September 1999, followed by the opening of a substantially larger factory in Suzhou Industrial Park in 2003. During the early 2000s, Higer expanded its quality-management and international-certification capabilities, introduced the V8 series, and developed customer-support infrastructure intended for the bus industry. These steps helped it compete both in China and in export markets, where bus manufacturers must meet varied regulatory, safety, emissions, and operating requirements. A major strategic development was Higer's cooperation with Scania. Beginning in 2006, the companies established a joint venture and developed export-oriented luxury coaches, including the A80 and later Scania-branded touring products. This relationship connected Higer's manufacturing base with Scania's chassis, engineering, and global commercial-vehicle presence. Higer buses subsequently appeared in a range of international markets, including Europe, Australia, and Latin America. The company also supplied buses for major public events in China, including the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Higer broadened its technology portfolio in the 2010s. It introduced the G-BOS fleet-management system, entered light commercial vehicles, and developed a dedicated new-energy-bus manufacturing base. Its alternative-power offerings have included hybrid-electric, battery-electric, hydrogen-fuel-cell, and natural-gas buses. The brand's urban-transit range includes conventional city buses and high-capacity vehicles for bus rapid transit systems, while its coach range includes vehicles for long-distance travel, intercity service, tourism, and school transportation. Higer's business is primarily institutional and fleet-oriented. Its customers include public-transit operators, schools, tourism and intercity transport companies, government-linked fleets, distributors, and international importers. As a result, the brand's competitive proposition emphasizes total vehicle cost, passenger capacity, durability, after-sales support, local homologation, and powertrain flexibility rather than consumer lifestyle branding. In export markets, models may be sold under Higer names or through cooperation and rebadging arrangements, including Scania Touring applications. The company has also been associated with China's wider transition toward new-energy public transport. Its electric and other low-emission products address urban air-quality policy, fleet electrification, and the replacement of conventional diesel buses. At the same time, Higer faced a significant regulatory setback in 2016 when China's Ministry of Finance identified Suzhou Kinglong in a special inspection of new-energy-vehicle promotion subsidies. The inspection alleged that 1,683 vehicles had been involved in subsidy violations in 2015 and ordered the withdrawal of 520 million yuan in subsidies together with a 260 million yuan fine. This episode is a material part of the brand's public record and illustrates the compliance risks surrounding China's rapid new-energy-vehicle expansion. Higer remains an active commercial-vehicle brand with a broad product family and an export-oriented profile. Publicly available material does not establish a current chief executive, listed-company status, or a definitive corporate ownership structure beyond the company's identification as Higer Bus Company Limited.
History
Higer Bus Company Limited was established in December 1998 in Suzhou, Jiangsu. The company entered production rapidly and reported completing its first 1,000 buses by September 1999. Its early development reflected China's expanding demand for urban, intercity, and tourism transportation, as well as the growing importance of domestic bus manufacturers in public-sector and fleet markets. In June 2003, Higer opened a new factory in Suzhou Industrial Park. The facility was reported to cover approximately 400,000 square metres and gave the company a larger industrial base for bus and coach production. That month Higer also passed ISO/TS 16949-related international quality certification, an important step for a manufacturer seeking to supply large fleet customers and enter export markets. The V8 series was launched in February 2004, and the company received a safety-equipment award at the 2004 BAAV World Bus Exposition. In May 2005, Higer placed a dedicated bus-industry customer-service call centre into operation. Higer's international profile grew through its relationship with Scania. In September 2006, the companies established a joint venture and launched the A80 export-oriented luxury coach. The cooperation later produced Scania Touring buses and the Scania–Higer A90 coach. These products allowed Higer to participate in premium and international coach segments while drawing on Scania's global engineering and commercial-vehicle network. Higer also supplied approximately 1,500 buses for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, giving the company a prominent domestic fleet reference. In 2009, Higer reported meeting the requirements for inspection exemption on certain import and export commodities under Chinese national procedures. In 2010, it introduced the G-BOS system, a fleet-management and vehicle-information platform designed to support bus operators. The company expanded into light-duty vehicles during the following period; its light-duty-vehicle division was established in March 2010, production began in 2011, and a Kunshan light-duty-vehicle plant entered production in September 2012. The range included vans, pickups, multipurpose vehicles, commuter vehicles, and logistics-oriented products. New-energy transportation became another major development area. In May 2013, Higer held the foundation ceremony for a new-energy bus plant. The first phase was reported at 1.5 billion yuan and was planned around annual capacity of 10,000 new-energy buses after completion. That same month, Higer presented the G-POWERS II W16 Racing Bus at the Beijing International Exhibition of Buses, Trucks and Vehicle Components. In September 2013, it held its first American Business Conference in Santiago, Chile, with distributors from a group of North, Central, and South American countries and territories. The event reflected the company's effort to coordinate overseas distribution across Latin America and the wider Americas. Higer's published product families include coaches, city buses, new-energy buses and coaches, school buses, bus rapid transit vehicles, and vans or other light-duty vehicles. Its coach portfolio has included A-series, V-series, H-series, and related models. The city-bus portfolio has included B-series vehicles and other conventional, high-capacity, and alternative-power buses. New-energy offerings have covered hybrid-electric, battery-electric, hydrogen, and natural-gas platforms. These products have been directed mainly at fleet operators, transit authorities, schools, intercity carriers, tourism companies, and export distributors. The brand's history also includes a major compliance controversy. In a September 8, 2016 notice concerning a special inspection of subsidies for new-energy-vehicle promotion and application, China's Ministry of Finance identified five problematic enterprises, including Suzhou Kinglong. The notice alleged that Suzhou Kinglong had sold 1,683 non-compliant new-energy vehicles in 2015 and had received 520 million yuan in subsidies connected with those vehicles. It stated that the subsidies would be recovered and that the company would receive a 260 million yuan fine. This event occurred during a period of very rapid Chinese new-energy-vehicle deployment and remains the principal documented scandal associated with the Higer/Suzhou Kinglong name in the supplied reference material. Higer continues to operate as an active bus and commercial-vehicle brand. Its historical trajectory is defined by rapid domestic manufacturing growth, international coach cooperation, export expansion, fleet technology, and investment in lower-emission passenger vehicles. Public sources supplied for this entry do not provide a verified current executive roster, a definitive listed-company status, or a complete current ownership description.
- 2016
New-energy subsidy penalty
[1]The Ministry of Finance identified Suzhou Kinglong in a subsidy inspection and ordered subsidy recovery and a fine over alleged irregularities.
- 2013
New-energy bus plant project launched
[1]Higer began construction of a dedicated new-energy bus production base, with a reported first-phase investment of 1.5 billion yuan.
- 2011
Light-duty vehicle manufacturing begins
[1]Higer expanded into light-duty commercial vehicles.
- 2010
G-BOS introduced
[1]Higer launched the G-BOS fleet-management system.
- 2008
Olympic fleet supply
[1]Around 1,500 Higer buses were reported to have served the Beijing Summer Olympics.
- 2006
Scania cooperation begins
[1]Higer and Scania established a joint venture and introduced the A80 export luxury coach.
- 2004
V8 series introduced
[1]Higer launched the V8 bus series and received a safety-equipment award at the BAAV World Bus Exposition.
- 2003
Suzhou Industrial Park factory begins production
[1]A new approximately 400,000-square-metre facility in Suzhou Industrial Park entered production.
- 1999
First 1,000 buses produced
[1]The company reported manufacturing its first 1,000 buses in September 1999.
- 1998
Company established
[1]Higer Bus Company Limited was established in Suzhou in December 1998.
Products and positioning
An export-oriented Chinese commercial-vehicle brand focused on fleet buses, coaches, urban transit, and alternative-power passenger vehicles. Higer combines large-scale Chinese manufacturing with a broad range of diesel, gas, hybrid, electric, and hydrogen platforms, and uses international technical cooperation to support premium and overseas products.
Luxury and export coaches · 2006
A Series
The A series is Higer's premium coach family developed in cooperation with Scania. It has included models such as the A30, A50, A80, A90, A95, and A98. The range has served long-distance, intercity, tourism, and school-bus applications in domestic and export markets. The A80 has also been associated with the Scania Touring HD designation in some overseas markets.
Intercity and highway coaches
V and H Series Coaches
Higer's V-series and H-series coaches cover multiple body lengths, seating layouts, and operating roles. Models listed in the reference material include V90, V91, V92, V8, V9, V11, V12, H91, H92, and H94 variants. They are intended for intercity transport, tourism, scheduled coach services, and other fleet applications where passenger capacity and highway operating range are central requirements.
City buses
B Series
The B series is a family of urban buses designed for municipal and contracted transit operations. Listed examples include the B98H, B94H, B92H, B90H, B90V, B8H, and B7H. The range includes different body sizes and capacity levels, allowing operators to match vehicle dimensions to route demand, street conditions, and local transit requirements.
Electric, hybrid, hydrogen, and natural-gas buses
New-energy buses
Higer's alternative-power portfolio includes hybrid-electric city buses, battery-electric buses, hydrogen-fuel buses, and natural-gas city and road buses. Examples include KLQ6129GHEV, KLQ6109GHEV, KLQ6129GEV, KLQ6125GEV, KLQ6129GQH2, and several gas-powered KLQ models. These products target public-transit operators seeking lower local emissions, fuel diversification, or compliance with fleet-transition policies.
School transportation
School buses
Higer's school-bus offerings are configured for student transportation and include vehicles in several capacity classes. The listed models range from smaller buses with approximately 18 seats to larger vehicles with more than 50 passenger seats, with seating and auxiliary-driver configurations varying by model. Availability and specifications depend on the market and applicable safety regulations.
High-capacity urban transit
Bus rapid transit vehicles
Higer produces high-capacity buses for bus rapid transit and heavily used urban corridors. The KLQ6181G is listed as a BRT-oriented model with a reported capacity configuration of up to 161 passengers. Such vehicles are designed around high passenger throughput, frequent stops, and the operational demands of dedicated or priority transit routes.
Light commercial vehicles · 2011
Light-duty vehicle range
Higer's light-duty division has included vans, pickups, multipurpose vehicles, commuter vehicles, and logistics-oriented products. The reference material lists H4E, H5V, H5C, H6C, H5P or Yujun, Paradise, H7V, and Longwei products. These vehicles extend the brand into business transport, passenger shuttle, tourism, delivery, and other commercial uses beyond full-size buses.
Fleet-management technology · 2010
G-BOS
G-BOS is Higer's bus-oriented fleet-management and vehicle-information system. It was introduced to support operators with fleet supervision and operational data. The system represents Higer's effort to supplement vehicle manufacturing with digital tools for commercial fleets and public-transport customers.
Controversies
2016
New-energy vehicle subsidy violations
A Ministry of Finance inspection identified Suzhou Kinglong, the name associated with Higer in the reference material, among enterprises involved in problematic new-energy-vehicle subsidy claims. The notice stated that 1,683 vehicles were involved in violations during 2015, that 520 million yuan in subsidies would be recovered, and that a 260 million yuan fine would be imposed.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013American Business Conference
United States · Mexico · Central America · South America · Caribbean
Higer held its first American Business Conference in Santiago, Chile, bringing together distributors from a broad group of countries and territories across the Americas.
Outcome. The event coordinated Higer's regional distributor network and supported its export-market development.
- 2008Beijing Olympic transportation supply
China
Higer buses were used in the transportation fleet for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, providing a high-visibility reference for the company's domestic fleet and event-transport capabilities.
Outcome. The supplied reference reports that approximately 1,500 Higer buses served the Games.
Brand decisions
2016
Response to subsidy inspectionOtherBackground
China's Ministry of Finance conducted a special inspection of subsidies connected with the promotion and application of new-energy vehicles.
Action taken
The ministry ordered the withdrawal of 520 million yuan in subsidies associated with the cited vehicles and imposed a 260 million yuan fine on Suzhou Kinglong.
Aftermath
The action became the principal documented regulatory and reputational controversy associated with the Higer/Suzhou Kinglong name in the supplied reference material.
Subsidies ordered withdrawn and fine. 520 million yuan withdrawn; 260 million yuan fine (2015 vehicles; ministry notice dated 2016)
2013
Investment in new-energy bus productionStrategyBackground
Chinese public transport was moving toward electrification and other lower-emission powertrains, supported by government promotion programs.
Action taken
Higer began construction of a dedicated new-energy bus plant with a reported first-phase investment of 1.5 billion yuan and planned annual capacity of 10,000 vehicles.
Aftermath
The project expanded Higer's capacity for electric and other alternative-power buses, although the later subsidy controversy exposed compliance risks in the wider market.
First-phase planned investment. 1.5 billion yuan (2013 project announcement)
2010
Launch of G-BOSProduct launchBackground
Bus operators increasingly required tools for fleet oversight, operational monitoring, and vehicle information.
Action taken
Higer introduced the G-BOS fleet-management system for bus and commercial-fleet applications.
Aftermath
The launch broadened Higer's offer from physical vehicles toward connected fleet-support services.
2006
Joint venture with ScaniaM&ABackground
Higer sought to strengthen its premium-coach and international-export capabilities through cooperation with Scania.
Action taken
The companies established a joint venture and developed the A80 export luxury coach, followed by additional Scania Touring-related products.
Aftermath
The cooperation gave Higer an international premium-coach platform and linked selected Higer products to Scania's global commercial-vehicle presence.
Sources8 sources
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