PO Miyor Prima Abadi Transport's decision to use bodies made by the New Armada coachbuilder for its three newest premium bus units has triggered deep nostalgia among land transportation enthusiasts in West Sumatra. The move by the operator from Sawahlunto seems to reopen the pages of history when the coachbuilder from Magelang, Central Java, ruled the roads of the Minang Realm from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
In its heyday, New Armada's products heavily dominated the microbus segment based on the four-wheeled Mitsubishi 100 PS chassis, as well as medium buses powered by Mitsubishi 100 PS and 120 PS engines. These vehicles became the backbone of both Intercity Intra-province (AKDP) and Intercity Inter-province (AKAP) services. One of the most legendary models roaming at that time was characterized by folding passenger doors and an iconic "PRONA" emblem neatly attached to the back.
As trends evolved, New Armada continued to innovate by producing various body designs. These ranged from the capsule model with a wide, curved windshield that provided a panoramic view for the driver, to the "bull" (banteng) model which featured side windows slanting downwards, resembling a row of cinema seats. On the rear window of the buses, a tourism promotion sticker themed "Visit Indonesia Year 1990" with the silhouette of Borobudur Temple was often affixed, becoming a signature mark of this coachbuilder's products.
New Armada's market reach at the time was not limited to public passenger buses. Popular chassis such as the Mitsubishi L300 with the "New Elza" type body and the Mitsubishi Colt T120SS modified by New Armada were widely used as public minivans (angkot) and rural transport. In addition, various government agencies, employee shuttle services, and universities in West Sumatra entrusted their operational fleets to the coachbuilder with the anchor logo.
Entering the mid-90s, competition on the Padang–Jakarta route grew even more intense with the rise of PO Palapa, which relied on New Armada bodies featuring a unique headlight design resembling squinting eyes. The dominance of the products from Magelang was highly palpable at major terminals in West Sumatra, such as Terminal Lintas Andalas Padang, Aur Kuning Bukittinggi, and Terminal Lintas Andalas Solok.
Although this dominance dwindled after 2000 due to the proliferation of local Sumatran coachbuilders offering modifications and replicas of popular designs, the momentum of PO Miyor's premium class arrival now raises an interesting question. Will New Armada reclaim its throne of glory on the routes of West Sumatra amidst the current new wave of enthusiasm in the land transportation business?
