Van Hool

Van Hool NV ([vɑn ˈɦoːl]) was a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.

Most of the buses and coaches were built entirely by Van Hool, with engines and axles sourced from Caterpillar, Cummins, DAF and MAN and gearboxes from ZF or Voith. Some production involved building bus and coach bodies on separate bus chassis from manufacturers such as Volvo and Scania.

Worldwide, Van Hool employed 4,500 people and manufactured more than 1,700 buses and coaches (bodyworks and complete vehicles combined) and 5,000 trailers each year. It sold an average of 600 coaches annually in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Van Hool filed for bankruptcy on Friday, 5 April 2024 and was declared bankrupt the following Monday (8 April 2024) by the Commercial Court of Belgium. On 10 April 2024, it was announced that Van Hool's trustees had accepted a takeover bid from Netherlands-based bus manufacturer VDL and Germany-based semi-trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull.

Bernard Van Hool (1902–1974) was a farmer in Koningshooikt, near Lier, Belgium; he and wife Bertha Van Asch had eight sons and two daughters. Bernard built his own bus to take workers to his farm in Koningshooikt, and founded the company in 1947 in response to other farmers asking for similar vehicles. The company was a family business: of the 22 initial employees, five were related to Bernard, including his brother-in-law and his four eldest sons; it changed its name in 1954 to Van Hool en Zonen ("and Sons").

In the early years, Van Hool was a bus coachbuilder using motor vehicle chassis from other companies; it introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe. The company has also been active on the North American market since the mid 1980s.

On February 15, 1957, Van Hool signed a commercial agreement with Fiat; Van Hool would incorporate Fiat engines and other mechanical components (gearboxes, axles, steering) in its vehicles. It developed from a coachbuilder to a Belgian manufacturer of integral buses and coaches, known as Van Hool-Fiat. Alongside these activities, the company continued as a coachbuilder, enabling further expansion.

In August 1958, a year and a half after the agreement with Fiat was signed, the 100th Van Hool-Fiat was delivered, and by July 1961, the figure had exceeded 500. The co-operation agreement with Fiat was terminated in 1981.