Happy Birthday, MAN Truck & Bus!
100 years of MAN trucks and buses
The history of MAN trucks and buses began exactly 100 years ago today: it was on 21 June 1915 that the "Lastwagenwerke M.A.N.-Saurer", the M.A.N. Saurer truck factory, was entered in the commercial register of the city of Nuremberg – a reason to celebrate for the Munich-based company.
Happy Birthday, MAN Truck & Bus!
100 years of MAN trucks and buses
100 years of MAN trucks and buses give its 34,000 employees worldwide plenty of reason to celebrate this great anniversary today. Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, sums up the historic significance of this important date:
"MAN can look back on an eventful past, with periods of new beginnings, success, but also very challenging times. We are now in a period of reorientation, which at the same time is also a great opportunity for our company. In the light of this, our 100 year anniversary celebrations are, from my point of view, clearly marked by the slogan: under the Volkswagen umbrella, with strong roots in a successful past."
Drees emphasises the importance of this for customers and employees: "100 years mean a wealth of exciting and interesting stories from customers and partners, some of whom we have been dealing with for several generations. And of course there are also the experiences of our employees, some of whom have worked for MAN for as long as 50 years. The 'My-MAN stories' recount these stories and share them with others, bringing our history to life."
Family days at plants around the world include family members in the celebrations. The largest event will take place at our headquarters in Munich on July 25, where we are expecting about 25,000 people. Here is yet another reason to celebrate: It was 60 years ago that the Munich plant was founded, as a result of the relocation of commercial vehicle production from Nuremberg.
A digital journey back in time through 100 years of commercial vehicle production at MAN
To mark its centenary, MAN Truck & Bus is launching a centennial website: www.100years.man.eu – a digital journey back in time through 100 years of commercial vehicle production at MAN. This site tells a lot of fascinating stories that show how MAN has played a decisive role in shaping the future of mobility in the commercial vehicles sector over the past 100 years. The focus is on the values which MAN stands for, such as efficiency, customer proximity and product enthusiasm. More stories and milestones will follow over the course of the Centenary year. MAN's press newsletter and social media channels provide regular updates about new content.
Special editions for customers: "100 Years Edition"
To mark its product anniversary, MAN has released a special highlight: the "100 Years Edition" MAN TGX D38. The flagship model, offering 520 or 560 HP and its excellent equipment level, is aimed particularly at customers who are enthusiastic about MAN products: mirror polished stainless steel front and side bars with integrated LED accent lighting, the solid roof bridge truss with halogen high-beam headlights and two flaming lions, which extend over the doors and the sides of the vehicle on both sides, ensure that you will make quite an impression. The special edition truck is available now. Bus customers also have something to get excited about: the anniversary, "100 Years Edition" MAN Lion´s Coach, will be presented to the public at the Busworld 2015 trade fair in October.
The "MAN – One Century" chronicle in bookshops now
A 320-page illustrated book for fans of our brand who are eager to find out more about the history of MAN trucks and buses will be published by August Dreesbach Verlag. "MAN – One Century" tells the story of commercial vehicle construction at MAN with short texts and hundreds of pictures taken from the historic MAN Truck & Bus archive, most of which are being published here for the first time. The illustrated book is a joint production created in cooperation with the agency Neumann & Kamp Historische Projekte. The book will be available in bookshops from mid-July 2015 as well as online and will cost approx. 50 euros.
The founding years: Customer proximity as a basis for success
The newly founded company was established in June 1915 as a joint venture between Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG and Saurer, a Swiss producer of commercial vehicles. The first MAN-Saurer 3-tonne truck soon left the joint factory in Lindau at Lake Constance. It was followed by the first buses, which were used as long-distance buses by the Imperial Post Office and transported passengers as well as letters and parcels. This was the beginning of commercial vehicle construction at MAN, a success story that has not only shaped the history of the company itself. Then as now, the keys to success were industry expertise, customer proximity and innovative strength as well as the employees' passion.
The first customers were mills, breweries, building companies and timber transporters in Bavaria. MAN opened its first repair shop with an off-site spare parts warehouse in Munich Schwabing in 1920. Maintenance, servicing and inspection were performed directly at the customer's premises – the revision service was born. This principle also caught on internationally: by the end of 1938, there were already over 2,400 MAN vehicles in 47 countries with service contracts. Today MAN employees provide tailored services to meet the needs of the customers at 580 sales centres and 1,500 workshops worldwide. MAN has significantly influenced the development of trucks and buses with advanced innovations for the last 100 years – and is continuing to do so.
To image database MAN TGX D38 "100 Years Edition"
100 years of MAN Truck and Bus: Ready for the future
With success and experience: MAN has been building efficient and reliable commercial vehicles for the past century
The history of the MAN Group extends over more than 250 years. The company is celebrating another important anniversary this year: The history of commercial vehicle construction at MAN started 100 years ago. Here is an overview of the most important milestones.
MAN built the first trucks and buses in Lindau in cooperation with the firm Saurer. One year later, the production moves to MAN’s plant in Nuremberg.
On 21 June 1915, a new company was entered in the trade register of the City of Nuremberg: "Lastwagenwerke M.A.N.-Saurer". The company was established as a joint venture between Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG and Saurer, a Swiss producer of commercial vehicles. The first MAN-Saurer 3-tonne truck soon left the joint factory in Lindau at Lake Constance. It was followed by the first buses, which were used as long-distance buses by the Imperial Post Office and transported passengers as well as letters and parcels. This was the beginning of commercial vehicle construction at MAN, a success story that has not only shaped the history of the company itself. MAN has significantly influenced the development of trucks and buses with its advanced and often revolutionary innovations for the last 100 years – and is still continuing to do so.
The early years
Presentation of the first vehicle engine with diesel direct injection, developed by MAN. This is the starting point of diesel engines’ success story within trucks – until nowadays.
In 1916, production was shifted to the MAN plant in Nuremberg. The company traded as "M.A.N Lastwagenwerke" after the departure of Sauer in 1918. In 1924, MAN presented the first truck with a direct-injection diesel engine – which created the basis for the triumph of diesel engines in truck construction. It saved up to 75 percent of operating costs in comparison with the petrol engines common at the time. Economy and efficiency were already important development goals of MAN at that time and they still apply today. During the same year, MAN produced the first low-floor bus with a specially designed low-frame chassis. The buses that MAN had previously built since 1915 had run on truck chassis.
In 1928, MAN presented its first three-axle truck, which was the precursor of all subsequent MAN heavy-duty trucks. In 1932, the S1H6 truck was equipped with a D4086 diesel engine that delivered 140 hp and was then considered the most powerful diesel truck in the world. In 1937, the next technical milestone was achieved with the development of an extremely fuel-efficient direct-injection diesel engine and the introduction of the all-wheel drive.
MAN trucks as engines of reconstruction
The truck, bus and tractor production moved from Nuremberg to the new plant in Munich. The first truck out of the production line was a MAN 515 L1. The engine production remained in Nuremberg.
Trucks were in demand during reconstruction work after the Second World War. In the 1950s, the MAN F8 with its 180 hp V8 motor became the flagship of the economic miracle in the new Federal Republic of Germany. MAN demonstrated its level of innovation as early as 1951, when it introduced the first German truck engine with exhaust gas turbo-charging. The six-cylinder engine achieved 175 hp with a 8.72-litre displacement, a remarkable power increase of 35 percent. In 1955, MAN moved its truck and bus production to its new site in Munich. The Nuremberg plant became the centre of competence for engine production.
MAN also proved its innovative powers in bus construction. In 1961, the company introduced the market to the 750 HO, the first bus in modular design. The standardised chassis was used with different superstructure versions for public buses, intercity buses and travel buses.
Büssing brought the lion to MAN
In 1971, MAN took over Büssing Automobilwerke and the company's plant in Salzgitter. MAN adopted Büssing's specialised underfloor engine technology as well as Büssing's logo, the lion of Brunswick, which has since decorated the radiator grille of all commercial vehicles made by MAN. At the end of the 1970s, MAN started to cooperate with VW in the light truck segment. The six- and eight-tonne trucks of the G-series were jointly produced until 1993. Today, MAN is part of the VW Group.
However MAN's show-pieces have always been trucks with hoods for construction work and heavy forward-controlled trucks for long-distance transport, such as the Type 19.280, which was the first MAN truck to receive the "Truck of the Year" award in 1978. Numerous awards followed, for example for the MAN F90, which was introduced in 1986 and received the "Truck of the Year" award the following year. The generous driver's cabin of the F90 was particularly impressive. Ergonomics and comfort for the driver have always been important concerns for MAN designers. The most successful truck model of the nineties was the F2000. The heavy series has had standard engines with electronic injection control since 1994.
The Coach MAN Lion's Star came to the market and was honored as “Coach of the Year”.
MAN buses also have their highlights. In 1992, MAN introduced the Lion's Star, a travel bus that would determine the names of all subsequent MAN bus generations. The high-decker for long-distance-travel had a cw-value of only 0.41, i.e. it was particularly aerodynamic and therefore saved fuel.
MAN in the new millennium
MAN started the new millennium with new innovations. In 2000, the "Trucknology Generation Type A" called TGA set new standards regarding comfort and ergonomics as well as new technologies such as the MAN TipMatic or the MAN Comfort-Shift for optimal gear changes. MAN strengthened its position in the premium travel bus segment by taking over the NEOPLAN bus brand in 2001.
The introduction of the D20 engines with common rail injection in 2004 was a real milestone in engine technology. MAN was the first commercial vehicle manufacturer to change all its engines to this economic and environmentally friendly, electronically controlled injection method. MAN also modernised the light and medium series by introducing the TGL and the TGM in 2005. It was possible to achieve Euro 4, the exhaust gas standard at the time, by a combination of exhaust gas recycling and particle filters, entirely without additives such as AdBlue. Two years later, two models were presented to succeed the TGA in the heavy series: The TGX was designed for long-distance transport while the TGS was used for applications requiring traction and heavy distribution traffic. MAN received the "Truck of the Year" award for the seventh time and for both models - which is a record in this sector.
In 2010, MAN started serial production of a city bus with a hybrid drive, the Lion's City Hybrid. The Lion's City Hybrid saves up to 30 percent fuel due to its innovative hybrid drive. The model quickly became a huge success and received the ÖkoGlobe Award in 2011 and the Green Bus Award in 2012 for its sustainable concept.
Into the future with MAN
Top of the range: the new D38 Euro 6 engines for the MAN TGX series with 520-640 hp.
The development of resource-saving and environmentally friendly vehicles has always been one of the main goals of MAN Truck & Bus. Euro 6, the latest exhaust gas standard was a challenge that MAN met in 2012 with its latest generation of TG vehicles. They fulfil the strictest requirements with maximum fuel efficiency. In the autumn of 2014, MAN introduced the latest engine generation, the D38, which is currently the culmination of 100 years of engine development in commercial vehicles. The frugal Euro 6 diesel engines reach up to 640 hp, using a two-step turbo-charger.
The current drivers of product development are sustainability, the in-house climate goals of the company, general political conditions and the limited availability of fuel resources. MAN is therefore considering further development of various, alternative drive concepts. Hybrid drives in commercial vehicles will be part of the drive concept of the future in all areas of application. A diesel/electric hybrid is already being a standard drive for the city bus. MAN has introduced the TGX Hybrid at the IAA 2014 fair. This is a concept vehicle for a TCO-optimised truck hybrid drive that might be used in long-distance transport. MAN has built the Metropolis research vehicle, a fully electrically operated heavy truck with a range extender for tasks in the city. It is currently in the test phase.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) and biogas are already available as alternatives. Engines suitable for CNG can also be operated with biogas in an almost CO2-neutral manner. An example is the new Lion's City GL CNG natural gas articulated bus, which won the "Bus of the Year 2015" award. The established range of natural gas city buses will be supplemented by trucks with a CNG drive in 2016.
The Department for Futures Research analyses global mega-trends and determines the direction for the development of future vehicle generations. MAN's developers are already working on vehicles that no longer need a driver for certain activities, for example when a safety vehicle secures motorway building sites. MAN Truck & Bus will use these and completely new ideas to ensure sustainable development of ultra-modern business vehicles in the future.
Additional information:
250 years of MAN history
In 2015, MAN is celebrating its 100th anniversary in commercial vehicle construction. However, the history of the current MAN Group started more than 250 years ago, with three historical starting points: the establishment of the St. Antony ironworks in Oberhausen in 1758, the establishment of the Sandersche Maschinenfabrik in 1840 and the establishment of the Eisengießerei und Maschinenfabrik Klett & Comp in Nuremberg in 1841. In 1878, the St. Antony ironworks merged with two other ironworks in the Ruhr area to form the "Gutehoffnungshütte" (GHH), while the two South-German predecessor companies merged to form Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG in 1898. This was the origin of the name "MAN". Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine in this Augsburg factory from 1893 to 1897. It served as the basis for later engine generations in MAN commercial vehicles. In 1921, MAN and GHH merged to form the current company that has been part of the Volkswagen Group since 2011.
100 years of striving for efficiency
Ever since the first endeavours a century ago, the development of commercial vehicles at MAN has been driven by the pursuit of excellent transport performance at low cost.
When acquiring a new commercial vehicle today, customers consider operating costs a crucial factor. Yet as long ago as 1915, when MAN started building its first trucks and buses, low-consumption engines and technical innovations for economical operation were powerful arguments for investing in the new technology. Due to numerous innovations, the efficiency of MAN’s machines has been continuously improved. Today, a tractor-trailer unit merely requires about one litre of diesel fuel to carry a ton of payload for a distance of 100 kilometres.
Diesel and oxygen: the evolution of explosions inside cylinders
In the early 20th century, the construction of engines represented one of the major fields of innovation. The injection of diesel fuel into the cylinder and the process of diesel-air mix combustion are key factors for the efficiency of a diesel engine. MAN’s engineers were pioneers in this field and the company therefore presented the first MAN truck driven by a diesel engine with direct fuel injection as early as 1924. The engine was a technical masterpiece compared with the petrol carburettor engines that had previously been standard, as it used significantly less fuel. As a result, the new engine saved up to 80% of operating costs compared with traditional petrol engines. Direct injection actually rendered the diesel engine small and light enough for utilisation in vehicles for the first time.
Efficient combustion: G-engines and M-engines
An important technical advancement in MAN’s engine development followed in 1937, namely the G-engine. It drew its name from the round or “global” shape of its combustion chamber. Due to this special combustion chamber and a piston design, diesel fuel could burn with exceptional efficiency in the G-engine. By 1939, all MAN trucks, buses and traction units were equipped with the new engine.
A further step in the evolution of diesel engines was the Meurer engine (or M-engine), from the early 1950s, which had been developed by Professor Siegfried Meurer at MAN’s Augsburg diesel engine plant in 1952. The M-engine no longer consumed the fuel abruptly but rather in several phases – which eliminated the typical knocking effect – and delivered significantly reduced fuel consumption. For the next two decades, the M-engine provided the basis for MAN’s further development of efficient engines.
In 1954, MAN integrated its engine development competence at a new engine research institute in Nuremberg. This competence centre remains the innovative centrepiece of engine development at MAN to the present day.
Turbocharging: the key to the modern high-performance engine
Another key technology paved the way to highly efficient diesel engines in the 1950s: turbocharging. A turbo diesel engine compresses more air – and therefore more oxygen – into the piston chamber, allowing for considerably more of the fuel-gas mixture to be converted into engine output with every explosion in the cylinder. MAN was the first German manufacturer of commercial vehicles to present a diesel engine with turbocharger in 1950: the D 1546 GT. Due to turbocharging, the MAN experts were able to draw a striking 175 hp-performance from the 8.72-litre displacement engine rather than the standard 130 hp – a remarkable 35% increase in engine performance. As of 1976, turbocharger diesel engines were available for all MAN’s production series.
In 1979, MAN introduced engines with combined turbocharging and charge air cooling. Charge air cooling further enhances the efficiency of turbocharging, as cooled air contains more oxygen than hot air. At the same time, the engine components are subjected to less thermal stress. Today, most of MAN’s engines operate on a principle of two-phase charging with intermediate cooling. Two serially arranged turbochargers of different sizes form the basis for the optimised supply of combustion air to the engine, thus providing an ideal torque curve over a broad rpm range. Due to the development of turbocharging, current commercial vehicle engines deliver a performance significantly above 500 hp, while retaining compact mass and weight ranges as well as featuring low fuel consumption. Today, the new engine generation of the MAN TGX D38 – a serial six-cylinder engine with a cubic capacity of 15.2 litres and an output of up to 640 hp – is MAN’s most powerful vehicle engine to date.
Common rail injection – high tech for maximum efficiency
Fuel injection is both a key factor for fuel consumption and low exhaust emissions of an engine. MAN was one of the first manufacturers to consistently employ modern common rail (CR) injection technology. Since 2002, common rail injection has been a standard of serial production, with the Euro 5, EEV-compliant and Euro 6 engines already utilising a third-generation CR system. Common rail injection works with a central high-pressure pump, which supplies the fuel at an injection pressure of up to 2,500 bar. Each cylinder features electronically controlled injectors, which inject fuel to the cylinder as directed by the engine management system. The extremely high injection pressure results in ultra-fine fuel nebulisation for clean, economical and residue-free combustion. The exact time, duration and quantity of the injection are freely determinable, along with the option of using several injections for one ignition process and thus controlling the combustion process in the cylinder. This fully variable fuel injection control allows for managing the balancing act in physical terms, adhering to the strict Euro 6 standards and limiting nitric oxides, particle emissions and consumption at every operating point.
Efficiency through networking: perfect interaction of systems
While the engine is certainly the heart of the drive train and provides the basis for an economical and powerful vehicle, the interaction of all systems is crucial to further optimise the efficiency of modern commercial vehicles beyond engine technology. This includes electronic driving assistance systems, as well as aerodynamics and intelligent gear shifting systems. With the introduction of the Trucknology Generation A (TGA for short) in 2000, MAN established new benchmarks for trucks in long-distance transport – including efficiency. For the first time, the new production series incorporated electronic networking of all vehicle systems via the CAN (Controller Area Network) data bus, which transferred all data to the vehicle management computer. This processor coordinates all driving systems such as engine, gears, retarder or braking systems in an optimised and real-time course of action. The CAN bus forms the basis for the integration of modern driving assistance, braking and gear-shifting systems, which act in an anticipatory and intelligent fashion. With the TGA series, MAN introduced the first automated gear shifting system: the MAN TipMatic. It disencumbers the driver from selecting the optimised gear and saves both fuel and weight as compared with a manual transmission system. With its speed-shifting functionality, the current generation of the MAN TipMatic alternates even faster between gears 10, 11 and 12, thus saving fuel on gradients. The “Efficient Roll” function automatically switches to neutral on gently descending slopes, causing the truck to coast and therefore to save fuel.
Considerable fuel savings can be achieved by projecting the route in advance. Speed can be automatically reduced shortly before reaching a crest or momentum built before an upward slope. With its stored 3D maps and GPS-guided positioning of the truck, the GPS Tempomat EfficientCruise system recognises the topography of the route ahead.
Services for more efficiency: focus on overall costs
When considering the total cost of ownership (or TCO) to evaluate vehicle efficiency, technical solutions are not the only decisive factor responsible for efficient vehicle operation, but rather provided services as well: “While our customers primarily look at the total cost of ownership (TCO), which essentially means fuel consumption and depreciation, they also consider the uptime principle, meaning preferably minimum service and maintenance time,” explains Joachim Dürr, Head of Product Management & Strategy at MAN Truck & Bus.
The interdependent services offered by MAN Solutions are all aimed at reducing the TCO aspect, with the basic technical tool employed being the MAN TeleMatics System. It transmits the vehicle’s technical data and position in real time. With the new MAN ServiceCare service package, for example, the MAN service centre receives the maintenance data of the customer vehicle and controls maintenance management in such a way as to configure workshop periods as speedily and efficiently as possible for the customer.
Efficiency through training: MAN ProfiDrive
As economic operation in long-distance transport substantially depends on driving style, MAN includes the driver in the overall strategy for more efficiency. MAN ProfiDrive training courses not only offer truck and bus operators further education in theory, but also provide practical training for an especially economical style of driving as well as an optimised use of the driving assistance systems and the TipMatic automated gears. The training objective is to make daily driving routines even safer and more efficient. When purchasing vehicles of the MAN EfficientLine, the ProfiDrive training is already included as part of the package – an attractive feature for customers. For more than 30 years, MAN ProfiDrive trainers have been imparting theoretical and practical knowledge to improve road traffic efficiency in 25 countries around the world. Gained experience proves that MAN ProfiDrive training courses can render as much as 10% in fuel savings.
MAN TGX EfficientLine: packaged technology and service
In 2010, the MAN TGX EfficientLine launched a new era by uncompromisingly combining fuel-saving measures and technologies in an independent model. No vehicle manufacturer had previously realised the known physical attributes as consistently in a vehicle as MAN by offering it today with its TGX EfficentLine 2.
All new electronic systems for fuel reduction are incorporated in the TGX EfficientLine 2 as a series standard. With its optimised use of momentum on ascents and descents, the anticipatory Tempomat EfficientCruise system saves up to 6% in fuel.
Incorporating D26 Top Torque engines, the drive train of the TGX is designed for exceptionally low-revolution and fuel-efficient driving. With 200 Nm of torque enhancement, the engines harmonise ideally with exceptionally long axle ratios. Particularly on upward gradients, this enhanced torque provides better control with fewer downshifts and sustainably cuts fuel consumption.
The DNA of the TGX EfficientLine 2 also includes the consistent reduction of air resistance and rolling resistance, as well as accessory engine output. Sun visors and pressurised air horns are therefore omitted and the aerodynamic side panelling of the chassis further contributes to fuel savings. While setting the speed limiter to 85 km/h instead of 89 km/h reduces driving resistance by 10%, low-resistance tyres are also utilised. The EfficientLine models include an air pressure management system, whereby pressurised air is supplied upon demand: The compressor is engaged only when pressurised air is actually consumed. Compared to a permanently activated compressor, this reduces operating times in long-distance transport by about 90%.
The MAN TeleMatics Onboard Module is also standard in the TGX EfficientLine 2. With TeleMatics, the truck transmits consumption and service data to its fleet manager, who can monitor the fuel consumption of vehicle and driver’s fuel consumption and even check tyre pressures and brake conditions of an entire fleet through a data portal – thus ensuring that fuel is not needlessly consumed.
Beside its truck, MAN introduced the Lion’s Coach EfficientLine in 2012, a travel coach consistently designed for maximised efficiency. Due to its drive train configuration with a D2676 engine, TipMatic coach gears and an eco-hypoid drive axle, it is exceptionally well constructed to save fuel. The purposeful further development of drive technology and a wide array of features consistently aimed at fuel economy demonstrate that today’s long-distance coach transport bears the potential for considerable fuel savings.
Striving for efficiency will remain the central driving force for MAN in future. Optimising the drive train, further aerodynamic improvements, enhanced reliability throughout the product lifecycle and the minimisation and optimisation of service operations still offers considerable potential for reduced CO2 emissions and lower fuel consumption. New developments in vehicle communications, as well as between vehicles and traffic control systems, result in improved utilisation of available road capacity, and can achieve greater transport efficiency through better traffic flow.
To image database Efficient Technology
Performance runs on MAN: efficiency backed by tradition
Reliability and efficiency have been the decisive characteristics of commercial vehicles for a hundred years. The trucks and buses made under the traditional MAN brand have repeatedly proven these qualities during spectacular performance and comparison runs
1924: Premiere of the world’s first diesel truck with direct fuel injection
On 12 March 1924, MAN engineers Sturm and Wiebicke set out from the plant premises in Augsburg on a trip to Nuremberg with an M.A.N. Saurer truck. The four-tonne flatbed truck was powered by an experimental diesel engine that injected the fuel directly into the four cylinders for the first time. Thanks to the truck’s output of around 40 hp, the test drivers accomplished the 140-kilometre trip in five and a half hours. The successful journey proved to be the baptism by fire for a new form of technology that allowed for the construction of economical diesel engines that were, for the first time, compact and light enough to power vehicles. That same year, MAN presented the new diesel automotive engine to the international public at the Berlin Motor Show.
1932: Diesel power pack put through its paces
In 1932, the legendary MAN S1H6 caused a major sensation as the world’s most powerful serially produced diesel truck. In spite of its 140-hp performance, an impressive achievement at that time, its fuel consumption was vastly more efficient than those of comparable trucks with a petrol engine. A bright red S1H6 toured through all of Germany on a marketing and test drive for 60 days. En route, customers and journalists could familiarise themselves with the powerful performance and low consumption of the three-axle vehicle. “The engine is a small miracle in its own right,” concluded the editor of the Münchner-Augsburger Abendzeitung newspaper in his test report of 14 June 1932.
1955: MAN goes East
Another milestone in MAN’s continuous development of economical diesel engines was the so-called Meurer engine (or M-engine) from the early 1950s, which burned diesel fuel with exceptional efficiency due to the design of its combustion chamber. In 1955, a performance run of 16,000 kilometres from Nuremberg to Baghdad and back by two trucks of the new 400 series (a short-bonnet truck and a cab-over-engine vehicle) and a type 420 bus demonstrated the actual reliability of the new engine in practice. While the three new models had been designed significantly lighter than their predecessors, two of them were also equipped with the M engine.
1960–1961: test drives at extreme temperatures
The fact that MAN trucks delivered a reliable and efficient performance even under the most extreme climatic conditions was showcased in the winter of 1961, when an MAN 745 L1 undertook a test drive in the Sahara, setting off from Tripoli and crossing the Libyan Desert. This truck covered roughly 2,400 kilometres in 166 hours, proving that it could tolerate even the highest temperatures. Just a few months later, in the spring of 1961, an MAN 635 and an MAN 770 L1 accomplished a 6,500-kilometre trial and publicity tour through Scandinavia from Helsinki and traversing Lapland to reach the Arctic Circle, where the trucks also withstood temperatures as low as –25°C.
1964: superlative efficiency in the Alps
Equipped with a new, water-cooled 6-cylinder HM engine, an advanced development of the M-engine, an MAN 10.212 Hauber tipper and a 1580 DHK truck as well as an MAN 535 HO-R9 touring bus undertook an extreme test drive into the Alps, up to the Stelvio Pass in northern Italy. Over the distance of more than 1,000 kilometres, with ascents of up to 12%, the three-axle 1580 used merely 41.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, despite its weight of 18 tonnes. With a weight of 14 tonnes, the two-axle 10.212 actually managed with 32.3 litres per 100 kilometres.
1973: long-distance trials on the motorway
An MAN Büssing 22.320 UNL truck rendered a powerful demonstration of its economy and efficiency in long-distance traffic in 1973. During a non-stop motorway trial covering 750 kilometres from Hamburg to Munich primarily during the night, the traction unit with a 320-hp U12 DA under-floor engine used only around 35 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. As a result, the 22.300 UNL was awarded the title “Car of the Year 1972” by the German transport publication Deutsche Verkehrszeitung.
1985: aerodynamic run through Europe
In the early 1980s, the aerodynamic features of vehicles became increasingly important. The impact of aerodynamic characteristics on efficiency was demonstrated in the long-distance trial run of an MAN 19.291 and a 19.331 FLS on a comparison drive from Antwerp to Marseilles. Due to aerodynamic improvements, such as the roof spoilers and air dams, the average consumption of both trucks stayed just under 32 litres per 100 kilometres.
1995: record trip of a world champion in efficiency
In 1995, even this record was broken. A consumption benchmark for 40-tonne articulated trucks previously believed impossible was achieved by the Eco-Challenge Tour 1995. Due to its aerodynamic panelling and trained drivers, an MAN F2000 tractor-trailer travelled from Edinburgh to Bari in southern Italy, while utilising merely 25.2 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres – a world efficiency record at the time!
2000: thousand-mile race of the TGA
With its Trucknology Generation A, or TGA, MAN presented a new and trailblazing truck class in 2000 which also set new efficiency standards due to the electronic connectivity of vehicle systems and the automatic MAN TipMatic transmission. This was demonstrated to media representatives during the “Mille Miglia”, a 1,000-kilometre test drive through Italy. By the end of the tour, six TGA trucks featuring either 360 hp, 410 hp or 460 hp had run up a net consumption of 34.74 litres per 100 kilometres, with an average speed of 68.6 kilometres per hour.
2010–2011: Consistently Efficient Tour
MAN explored new paths altogether in terms of commercial vehicle efficiency during the premiere of the first TGX EfficientLine at Hanover’s IAA commercial vehicle exhibit in 2010, as its drive technology and features had been consistently designed to lower fuel consumption. During the MAN Consistently Efficient Tour in 2011, three TGX tractor-trailers, including two TGX EfficientLine vehicles, took a test drive across Europe and rendered proof that fuel consumption in long-distance transport could be reduced by as much as three litres per 100 kilometres.
2014: EfficientLine 2 with EfficientCruise
The new MAN EfficientLine 2 succeeds in surpassing even the outstanding efficiency of its predecessor. Shortly before its official presentation at the IAA 2014, MAN sent the new fuel-saving champion on the EfficientLine 2 Tour – a comparison drive through seven European countries that covered 5,217 kilometres and lasted eight days. During the topographically challenging journey, the fully loaded tractor-trailer had to negotiate more than 31,000 metres of difference in altitude. Upon concluding the tour, the results were clear: Due to its new efficiency features – such as the MAN TipMatic 2 intelligent automatic transmission system and the GPS-based MAN EfficientCruise cruise control – the MAN EfficientLine 2 saves a full 6.57% of fuel in comparison to the previous model.
To image database Highlights MAN 1915-2015