How a German bus brand changed vehicle engineering by removing the traditional chassis

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 1950s, the German manufacturer Kässbohrer revolutionized coach building with the S8, a vehicle that abandoned the standard separate chassis and body. By adopting a self-supporting, monocoque design, they created a new benchmark for efficiency and style that transformed the European bus market for decades to come.

The name Setra is a contraction of the German word selbsttragend, meaning self-supporting. This term describes the integral construction method introduced in 1951 at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. Before this innovation, most buses were built by mounting a body onto a separate chassis, often produced by different companies. The S8 changed this by combining the chassis and body into a single, load-bearing structure, which allowed for a rear-mounted engine that drove the rear axle directly.

This structural shift provided more than just mechanical efficiency; it enabled streamlined styling and significantly larger luggage compartments. The design proved so successful that it spread rapidly across the industry. Over time, the company developed a sophisticated naming system to categorize its growing fleet. By the 200 series, the model numbers began to reflect the number of seat rows, with subsequent suffixes denoting specific features like high-floor construction, double-deck configurations, or interurban capabilities.

The firm, originally known as Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke GmbH, faced economic challenges that led to its acquisition by Daimler-Benz AG in 1995. Since then, the brand has operated under the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus GmbH. While the brand's distribution in North America has shifted between various partners—including Motor Coach Industries and the REV Group—Daimler resumed self-distribution in the region in 2020. Today, the legacy of the original self-supporting design remains central to the brand's identity, even as the company has moved toward modern classifications like MultiClass, ComfortClass, and TopClass.

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