A seriously big deal
Now I know what some of you may be thinking: what’s the fuss all about? Well, this new truck is a seriously big deal. A MASSIVELY big deal, in fact. Model cycles in the truck business are different from the ones in the car industry – a completely new truck generation is developed only every 15 to 20 years. So, this new truck – codenamed MAN’s new truck generation – is the biggest thing to come out of the MAN stable in two decades.
We were invited to view the top-secret truck because yours truly represents South Africa on the International Truck of the Year Jury. It’s a global network of commercial vehicle writers from most of the major truck markets. Each year, the full jury members vote for the best truck in the world (the current title holder is Ford’s F-Max… look out for our road test of this spectacular truck). MAN is eyeing this title for its new truck generation come 2021 (it’s being launched too late for the 2020 awards programme; the title of 2020 Truck of the Year will go to one of three finalists: the Iveco S-Way, Actros Gen 6 or Volvo FH I-Save). Accordingly, we were the very first people in the world to see the new truck (apart from the good folks who work at MAN and their holding company, Traton, of course).
The new truck will replace the current and enormously successful product line that has been sold over millions of times in countless variants since its introduction in 2000. It’s known as the Trucknology Generation (TG) range. “Trucknology Generation” is supposedly “a linguistic nod to the symbiosis between trucks and technology”.
Launch date: February 10
On February 10, 2020, the new range will be launched to the world in Bilbao, Spain. So, what can I tell you about it right now? Honestly speaking, not very much. When we arrived at what was termed the “sneak preview” in Munich, our cameras and mobile phones were confiscated. Plus, we had to sign our lives away: the embargo is February 10. The publication of any specific details gleaned at the event in Munich is streng verboten. However, I can tell you what my friend, Iep van der Meer, has published on his outstanding website, https://iepieleaks.nl. I quote him verbatim: “The new MAN will have the existing cab structure with new roofs and a lot of new details on the interior and exterior. We already saw some glimpses of the interior and the new doors with larger windows. MAN sticks to the same engines for the time being. Later next year the new Traton global engine platform will be introduced. This-13 litre engine is going to replace both the MAN and Scania engines in the near future.” Iep has even published a spy pic. You can find it here: https://iepieleaks.nl/new-man-in-2020/ I can neither confirm nor deny any of Iep’s statements.
I can also tell you that the new vehicle will be produced in a factory that’s obsessed with quality: we toured the Munich plant, which has been operating since 1955, and saw the new truck on the production line. The Munich plant builds MAN TGS and MAN TGX series, and about 40 300 vehicles a year roll off the line. The process lasts for around seven hours – from the frame side members being placed on the assembly line to the moment the road-ready vehicles are finally driven off the shop floor. Something really interesting is the number of different variants that they’re building – a whopping 73 truck models! The entire production process is quality focused. Employees add to the quality of production by stamping a batch card that comes with each vehicle to indicate that their work has been completed, for instance. So, the new trucks should boast the very best quality.
We also toured the €85 million (about R1,4 billion) paint shop and I can confirm that the trucks will be painted in one of Europe’s most state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly cab paint shops. Around 500 TGS- and TGX-series cabs are painted each day, and the paint shop can accommodate no fewer than 2 000 different colours (but we were told that 60% of the cabs are painted white; it’s easy to repair and good for resale values).
New standards in usability and connectivity
I can also reveal that MAN’s new truck generation will be the most digitized MAN ever built. “It will be tailored to the needs of drivers and entrepreneurs,” Joachim Drees, MAN CEO told us at the sneak preview.
“MAN’s new flagship is designed to sets standards in terms of user-friendliness as well as connectivity – not only today’s requirements for digitalization, automation, and drive systems concepts, but also tomorrow’s. This new truck generation has been developed based on concrete requirements of our customers in order to make their work and the work of the drivers easier, more efficient, and more comfortable. It is not just a new truck but rather an integrated transport solution. The vehicle will impress both transport companies and the drivers,” he emphasised.
So, that’s all we can tell you for now, folks. However, we will be at the global reveal on February 10 – and we will bring you the full rundown on the new truck then.
