MAN has used the Australasian Bus and Coach Expo in Sydney to unveil its new fully electric low-floor Lion’s Chassis E LF bus chassis.
Based on the MAN Lion’s City E, which was recently voted International Bus of the Year 2023 at the IAA in Hannover, and has successfully proven its performance and reliability in Europe, MAN says the Lion’s Chassis E LF complements its existing offering with one of the most technologically-advanced diesel buses on the Australian market.
“We are thrilled to be unveiling MAN’s all-new electric chassis to the Australian market for the first time,” said head of MAN bus and coach, Penske Australia, Crinel Geaboc,.
“Both Penske Australia and MAN Truck and Bus have firm strategies to be recognised as industry leaders in the electric space.
“With a history of strong bus and coach offerings with our innovative Euro 6 engines, the new Lion’s Chassis E LF rounds out our portfolio to include zero emission solutions for our customers.
“We know the industry has deadlines over the coming years to convert their fleets to electric technology, and with the Lion’s Chassis E LF, we’re in a position to make their transition straightforward.
“We’ve already seen great results with the MAN Lion’s City E in Europe. It was recently awarded International Bus of the Year 2023 by European trade journalists. The bus is reliable and efficient on the streets of many cities across Europe and has received over 1,000 orders since the start of production in 2020.
“This success in Europe combined with MAN’s ongoing investment in electric technology, such as the establishment of a large-scale battery production facility in Nuremberg, and the strong partnership Penske provides locally, all deliver confidence that our customers can count on.”
In addition to the Lion’s Chassis E LF, MAN’s stand at the Australasia Bus & Coach Expo includes the low entry RC2 chassis powered by MAN’s 330 hp D15 engine and equipped with a Custom Denning body. The display also includes the intercity/coach RR8 chassis powered by the first MAN 360 hp D15 engine in Australia and is fitted with an Irizar i6s coach body.
The new Lion’s Chassis E LF will undertake performance and compliance testing in the local operating environment in 2023.
A significant contingent of MAN executives travelled down under for the launch with Lutz Siebeling, MAN’s product management and body builder development manager, MAN’s head of sales bus international, Sylvain Messiant and the VP head of sales management and international key accounts for MAN bus Christian Fischer, all of whom joined Penske Australia’s executive general manager for on-highway, Craig Lee, as well as Crinel Geaboc.
The 2.55m wide chassis is expected to be available in 2023, with the 2.5m wide chassis to follow in early 2024.
