frame. In 1945, he altered his design again, with a body and frame which were both constructed of metal. Prévost also began to phase out his production of furniture to concentrate on motorcoaches. Visits to Detroit to observe manufacturing facilities prompted a shift from handcrafting to a more industrial enterprise, as well as the building of a new factory in 1946. His company, which operated as Les Ateliers Prévost from 1947, received a government commission for one hundred coaches in 1951, the majority of which were for the Department of National Defence. That same year, Prévost decided to begin production of motor homes. However, just a few years later, the bus industry suffered a severe slump and many bus manufacturers in North America went out of business. By 1955, activity at Prévost's enterprise was essentially at a standstill. In 1956, Les Ateliers Prévost manufactured only three coaches. In 1957, the company was acquired by business partners Paul Normand and Evariste Laflamme and renamed Prévost Car Inc. Now owned by Volvo Bus Corporation, Prévost Car produces highway touring buses and is the leader in the manufacture of shells for luxury motor homes and specialty conversions. By 1951, Les Ateliers Prévost provided employment to more than 200 people. In 2014, ninety years after its founding, Prévost Car's headquarters and primary manufacturing facilities remain in Sainte-Claire and the company employs nearly 1200 people. Public service and later life Prévost became mayor of Sainte-Claire and warden of its church in 1947, posts which he held for five years and three years, respectively. The mayor acquired the first fire engines for the village. New streets were built under his watch and a planning commission for the village was established. As churchwarden, he constructed a fence which enclosed the church and cemetery of Sainte-Claire. He renovated the church's interior and was also responsible for the illuminated cross at the entrance to the village. Prévost also created the cross at the center of Sainte-Claire Cemetery which marks the grave of Father Joseph Honoré Fréchette, who served as pastor of Sainte-Claire from 1903 until his death in 1939. Eugène Prévost suffered paralysis about 1955, and increasingly required the assistance of his two youngest sons. He died on 2 February 1965 at age 66, and was interred in the parish cemetery of Sainte-Claire. Commemoration Maison Prévost, the residence for the Prévost family, was designed by architect Joseph Gosselin (1847