MAN has recorded another strong year in 2024, with increased delivery numbers and the ability to provide a constant stream for major customer orders in Queensland being highlights for the brand this year.
“We’re happy with the volume we have reached in delivering around 10 to 12 buses per month on several occasions,” Penske Australia head of MAN bus and coach Crinel Geaboc told ABC.
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With experienced sales executive Warren Young now also part of Penske’s MAN team, the brand’s capabilities are growing to support its products and customers throughout Australia.
“We have the chassis ready for the high demand we’re receiving,” Geaboc says.
“With the introduction of the Euro 6 D15 nine-litre vertical engine, MAN has the newest diesel engine technology in Australia and some of the newest technology in the world.”
This technology is on MAN’s range of high-floor school buses and low-floor, low-entry city buses. Already, Geaboc says customers are rapt with the engine’s capabilities, saying they “couldn’t believe how efficient it is” and how well the Euro 6E driveline chassis has performed to date.
Alongside the conventional technology chassis, MAN Lion’s City 12 E Low Entry bus, which this year took home gold for the Intercity category at the 2025 Sustainable Bus awards as part of the FIAA gala night in Madrid, Spain, will provide a multi-faceted range for MAN.
The City 12 E Low Floor model (eLF) was first released to meet the growing demand for the vehicle type in the European market, with a 160kW synchronous electric in-house motor allowing for a maximum battery capacity of 480kWh.
It was first introduced to Australian crowds at the 2022 Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney, while it was also voted the International Bus of the Year back in 2023.
“It’s a fantastic bus in terms of performance, appearance and design,” Geaboc says.
“It was at the top of our list to bring this model to Australia. We’ve incorporated the driveline of the European complete electric bus to bring into Australia a similar product that maintains the DNA of the global model.
“It’s leading our range heading into 2025 – the prototype chassis is in New Zealand right now and we hope to have it landing in Australia early next year.”
When it arrives, MAN already has a line of customers interested in the bus, with commitments having been made by various customers to trial the bus in Australian conditions.
“In addition to electric, we’re also focusing on our high-floor buses for the school and charter sectors,” Geaboc says.
“In future our low-floor models will all be electric, but the different pace of transition in the charter and school bus section means I believe that diesel technology will still prevail until the segment receives zero-emissions drivelines.
“Our focus is mainly on high-floor school buses while continuing to supply low-floor electric buses to have a good spread of products out in all market sectors.”
WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2025
With Geaboc expecting MAN’s deliveries to go to a new level in 2025, MAN is set to have another busy year.
“On top of the new battery technology that is about to be released in Europe by the Volkswagen Group, we will be introducing new models in mid-to-late 2025 and our electric models should arrive earlier,” Geaboc says.
“This technology will be backwards compatible with existing battery technology, providing the perfect mid-life battery replacement option to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle and extend its range.”
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