THE NEOPLAN CITYLINER IS “COACH OF THE YEAR 2022”
At the beginning of September, the jury of more than 20 international experts invited four bus manufacturers from across Europe to take part in the “Coach Euro Test” in Bled, Slovenia. The VDL Bus & Coach FDD2, Volvo Buses 9700 DD, the Setra S 511 HD and the NEOPLAN Cityliner were being put to the test for a week, including numerous test drives and lengthy technical discussions. Criteria that are being looked at are of course the design, the luggage department, the passenger area, the driving area, etc. After putting everything together the final verdict was that the NEOPLAN Cityliner is the “Coach of the Year 2022”.
The international jury of experts was particularly impressed by the well-balanced overall package of cost-efficiency, comfort, design and safety. “The ‘Platin’ edition of the NEOPLAN Cityliner impressed us with its economical yet powerful and dynamic driver operation characteristics,” said jury president Tom Terjesen. The powerful driveline with its state-of-the-art, 6-cylinder Euro 6 engine, perfectly matched with the new 6-speed ZF Ecolife Coach 2 automatic transmission, got a special mention. The journalists also praised the top-quality driver’s workplace and the innovative safety and assistance systems that the driver and passengers benefit from. They loved the feeling and the atmosphere as a passenger in the coach: comfortable seats and very silent.
The prize was presented to Andreas Tostmann, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, and Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, by jury president Tom Terjesen in Munich.
“We are grateful and very proud that our NEOPLAN Cityliner was able to win over the jury of experts – especially seeing as it’s the coach’s anniversary year. This prestigious award is wonderful recognition for the entire MAN team, who are unrelentingly committed and deliver outstanding work,” says Andreas Tostmann, before adding: “After securing the titles of ‘Coach of the Year 2020’ for the MAN Lion’s Coach and ‘Truck of the Year 2021’ for our new MAN Truck Generation, this new award for the NEOPLAN Cityliner is the third prize that vehicles from our company have won in three consecutive years. This is a testament to our fantastic and innovative product portfolio and clearly demonstrates that we are in a very good place as we embrace our NewMAN strategy.”
