I'd have reckoned that the Deauville, P45 and Mistral ranges all sold in huge numbers in the UK and Ireland.  Shearings/Wallace Arnold had 100's of Miistrals alone from 1999-2004 and have not taken a single SHV.  The likes of Parks of Hamilton have traditionally bought any body Jonckheere built in large numbers.  Lets not forget Callinan's here who must have had between 30-50 Mistrals between 1997 and 2005.  They chose not to take the SHV for some reason and went instead for the Volvo 9700.

I really like the SHV but I do know alot of drivers oeprators don't like the look of it (it gets nicknamed the "snowplough" on the road due to the front styling!).  Don't really know why myself as I think it's a standout design.

Like alot of other things I'd say it's a purely financial decision by VDL to consolidate their operations in a shrinking market.  I wouldn't be surprise if they close some of their plants and centralsie production when they have completed the rebrand exercise.