By the end of the decade, production would shift from a GM/Flxible near-monopoly to a contested segment, with a number of manufacturers competing for transit operators with new-generation bus designs.

[2] In addition to Crown Coach gaining entry into the mass-transit segment, the partnership allowed Hungary to obtain hard currency and eased a trade imbalance between Eastern Europe and the West.

In addition to finishing the vehicles to American standards, the final assembly in California involved most of the interior work, allowing customization of the buses to the needs of each end-user.

[2] Sales contracts of the vehicles were managed by Crown Coach, which helped ensure that the work satisfied U.S. federal "Buy America" requirements[2] (49 U.S.C. § 5323j).

All buses manufactured under the Crown-Ikarus name were considered model 286, although different orders carried a seldom-noted numerical suffix (such as 286.02 for Portland TriMet).

After shipment to Crown Coach in Los Angeles, the fabricated body shells were fitted with engines, transmissions and brakes.

[1] For the first vehicles, the engines and transmissions were shipped to Hungary for installation, but subsequent examples saw the entire powertrain fitted at the Crown Coach factory.

[3] To save on development costs, the Crown-Ikarus was fitted with the engines of the Crown Supercoach school bus, which was designed for a 20-year service life.

[13] The suit identified 45 separate defects, including frame cracks, and charged that Crown Coach and Ikarus had been unable or unwilling to correct all of them.

[14] The lawsuit was later postponed, as the parties hoped to settle their differences out of court,[16] and 17 months after the suit was filed, Tri-Met announced that a settlement had been reached.