Bus converter
Royale
Royale Coach was the Prevost bus conversion business of Monaco Coach Corporation, based in Elkhart, Indiana. Monaco said in July 2005 that it had been converting about 22 shells a year, and its annual report for 2005 said it sold about 20 coaches a year. Monaco's annual reports show it as the highest-priced product the company sold. Monaco announced the closing in July 2005, with the plant shutdown set for November 2005.
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Models
History
Royale Coach was the name Monaco Coach Corporation used for its luxury bus conversion business in Elkhart, Indiana. Monaco, a motorhome builder with headquarters in Coburg, Oregon, showed Royale Coach in its annual reports as the highest-priced product it sold.
Indiana company records, as copied by OpenCorporates, show a company named Royale Coach by Monaco, Inc. using the names Royale, Royale Coach and Royale Coach by Monaco from December 8, 1989. That date shows when the names were registered, not when the business began. What the business was before that date could not be confirmed from sources that could be opened for this entry, so no founding year is given.
Monaco's annual reports describe a bus conversion plant of about 28,000 to 30,000 square feet in Elkhart. They also show prices climbing over time. The suggested retail range was $550,000 to $750,000 in the report for 1996, $550,000 to $900,000 for 1998, $600,000 to $1.0 million for 2001 and $950,000 to $1.4 million for 2004.
Monaco's annual report for 2005 calls the coaches Prevost bus conversions. Used-coach listings document a 2000 Royale on the Prevost H3-45 shell without slide-outs, and Royale coaches on the Prevost XLII shell from model years 2001 to 2006. A 2003 XLII in the listings has two slide-outs, a 500-horsepower Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine and an Allison six-speed transmission. The newest coaches found are 2006-model XLII double slides.
On July 13, 2005, Monaco announced that it would permanently close Royale Coach, with the plant shutdown set for November 2005. The company said Royale had been converting about 22 bus shells a year and that most of its roughly 85 employees could transfer to other Monaco sites nearby. Monaco explained that bus converters generally succeed by selling straight to the buyer, and that this kind of selling did not fit its own marketing plans. It expected a one-time charge of $1.5 million to $1.75 million for the closing.
Monaco said it would keep honoring Royale warranty and service commitments, and it invited Royale Club members to take part in its other owner clubs. Its annual report for 2005 said Royale Coach had sold about 20 coaches a year at prices above $1.4 million and was not a large part of Monaco's business. Indiana records show Royale Coach by Monaco, Inc. filed articles of dissolution on April 2, 2007.
Timeline
Indiana records show a company named Royale Coach by Monaco, Inc. using the names Royale, Royale Coach and Royale Coach by Monaco from December 8, 1989. The records show when the names were registered, not when the business began.
Monaco's annual report for 1996 lists Royale Coach at a suggested retail price of $550,000 to $750,000 and describes a leased 28,000-square-foot bus conversion plant in Elkhart.
Monaco's annual report for 1998 lists Royale Coach at $550,000 to $900,000 and gives the Elkhart bus conversion plant as 30,000 square feet.
Monaco's annual report for 2001 lists Royale Coach at a suggested retail price of $600,000 to $1.0 million.
Monaco's annual report for 2004 lists Royale Coach at a suggested retail price of $950,000 to $1.4 million.
On July 13, 2005, Monaco said it would permanently close Royale Coach, with the Elkhart plant shutdown set for November 2005. It said Royale had been converting about 22 bus shells a year.
Monaco's annual report for 2005 says all closing costs were recorded by the end of the year. It says Royale had sold about 20 coaches a year at prices above $1.4 million.
Indiana records show Royale Coach by Monaco, Inc. filed articles of dissolution on April 2, 2007.
Sources
- Monaco Coach Corporation Announces Closure of Royale Coach (press release, July 13, 2005)
- Monaco Coach Corporation Form 8-K filed July 18, 2005 (complete filing)
- Monaco Coach Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 2005
- Monaco Coach Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 2004
- Monaco Coach Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 2001
- Monaco Coach Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 1998
- Monaco Coach Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 1996
- Monaco to Close Royale Coach Operations (MotorHome magazine archive on RV.com)
- Prevost-Stuff: Prevost coaches for sale