In the early 1970s, the Brazilian coachbuilder CAIO had become the largest coachbuilder in Latin America and was about to revolutionize the microbus market. In 1970, at the 7th Auto Show, Mercedes presented its future special line consisting of the L-608D models, along with van and microbus models, similar to the European ones. The 608 was to be officially launched in March 1972, in three versions: the truck, the chassis, or the chassis with a half cabin. CAIO then had the great opportunity to use the German Mercedes' microbus and van models, being the first Brazilian company to prepare these vehicles with the recently launched Mercedes-Benz L-608 light trucks, launching a series of body versions to equip them, initially named Verona. Using the front of the cabin provided by Mercedes-Benz, it was made up of several versions: microbus (school, tourism, executive), camping, van with rear or side doors (11.5 m3 of internal volume), double cabin van and ambulance; the chassis was 6.39 meters long and 2.10 meters wide. Interestingly, from the 70s to the 90s, Caio named several of its buses with female names, such as Gabriela, Vitória, and Amélia; in that year, 1974, it decided to update the name of its microbuses, which were renamed Carolina, and not just the name; they began to gain Caio's own design, maintaining the front of the L608, but with straighter lines and larger windows; its main competitor was the Marcopolo Junior. The vehicle was widely used in urban public transportation for short distances, and also for transporting schoolchildren, in addition to giving rise to many motorhomes, and was widely exported to Latin American countries. Interestingly, in 1980, commissioned by the federal government, Caio manufactured the “Popemobile” using the Micro Carolina body to transport Pope John Paul II on his first trip to Brazil. CAIO would also assemble the Carolina on other chassis, on a smaller scale, such as the Fiat Diesel and PUMA, and for 10 years, few updates would be made to these vehicles, such as the taillights, giving rise to what were called the Carolina II and III. CAROLINA IV But in 1985, in a more in-depth restyling, since its competitor Marcopolo had launched the Micro Senior, CAIO launched the Carolina IV, definitively dispensing with the original Mercedes-Benz stamped steel front end, giving it its own personality. The Micro, with a larger glazed area, at that time no longer used only Mercedes chassis, but also Agrale and Volkswagen, and continued to be available in a large number of versions, including as a cargo van. Shortly after, the light truck received a new rear suspension, increasing it to 6.6 tons PBT and becoming known as the L-708 E; also new were the engine brake (the only one in the category) and the dual-circuit hydropneumatic brakes; there was no aesthetic change. Alongside the truck, the corresponding bus chassis came out – LO-708 E, which were also used in the Carolina IV. In 1988, after 16 years of manufacturing the 608, then 708, Mercedes launched its replacements L-709 and L-912, and the respective chassis for microbuses LO-809 and LO-812, which received a new engine, OM 364 of 4.9 liters (3,974 cm), aspirated and 90 hp of power, and turbocharged version OM364A of 122 hp, 5-speed synchronized gearbox and power steering as standard, the micros also received chassis from several other brands, such as Volkswagen and Agrale. In 1994, the Carolina V was launched, the latest generation of this line of microbuses, with completely new lines. In the mid-90s, the passenger transport market was flooded with small vans, a phenomenon started mainly by the Asian company Asia Motors and its Van Topic, whose low cost at the time represented very strong competition. Thus, the big manufacturers, both CAIO and Marcopolo, would promote major changes in their lines of microbuses. Marcopolo created its first Volare in 98, and CAIO would replace the Carolina with the launch of two new models, the Micro Piccolo and the Van Piccolino. These two, however, would fall far short of having all the success of the old Carolinas. Thus, with the first launches in 1972, still with the name Verona, and the official launch as Carolina in 74, the long-lasting Caio Carolina, which had crossed generations as a passenger transport vehicle, came to an end. #microbus #bus #busologists