Blue Bird said it agreed to acquire certain assets from Detroit Chassis, and will collaborate with Ford Motor on building next generation stripped chassis.

The deal will see Blue Bird and Ford Collaborate on designing, making and selling the F-53 Class A motorhome and F-59 commercial stripped chassis for Ford's "F5X" commercial vehicle business, Blue Bird said.

Blue Bird agreed to an asset purchase agreement with Detroit Chassis, which will see the maker of school buses acquire equipment, tooling, inventory, intellectual property, and other assets for a purchase price of $7 million plus the assumption of certain assumed liabilities.

Blue Bird will take responsibility from Ford for the design and manufacture of the next generation chassis, which will be paired with Ford's powertrain solutions, the companies said.

John Wyskiel, president and chief executive of Blue Bird, said the deal is a significant component of the company's long-term strategy, and will position Blue Bird as a growing player in the specialty vehicle/chassis market.