780 MAN Lion’s City E registered in 2023, tripling 2022 figures and taking the lead in the EU market

780 MAN electric buses were registered in Europe (EU27+3) last year alone. According to the latest registration statistics mentioned by the group, MAN Truck & Bus has thus taken the top position in the electric bus market in continental Europe, with a market share of around 13.3 percent.

MAN almost tripled the sales figures for the Lion’s City E compared to the previous year (263 e-buses in 2022).

According to ACEA, in 2023 electric bus registrations in the European Union “increased by 39.1% to 5,166 units, claiming a 15.9% market share”.

MAN top e-bus seller in five countries

As we have already reported, MAN is also number 1 electric bus seller in Germany (245 Lion’s City E). Besides this, the brand achieved first position also in Sweden (126 registrations), Belgium (69 registrations), Austria (26 registrations) and Slovenia (8 registrations).

The e-bus markets in Spain and Norway grew particularly strongly in the past year: 76 Lion’s City E were put into operation in Norway’s capital Oslo (59 solo and 17 articulated buses were ordered by transport operator Unibuss) and 93 in Spain.

The Lion’s City E was also named “Bus of the Year 2023” and “Sustainable Bus of the Year 2024” (the latter prize was handed to the 10-meter version).

“In terms of numbers, the markets in Germany, Sweden, Spain, Norway and Belgium are leading the race,” says Robert Katzer, Head of Sales & Product Bus since February 2023, adding: “Almost 80% of all Lion’s City E registered in Europe in 2023 are on the road in these five countries, providing safe, reliable and, above all, sustainable public transport.”

“Our 1,000th Lion’s City E, which rolled off the production line at MAN’s Polish plant in Starachowice in September 2023, almost three years after the start of series production, is also in operation in the greater Madrid area and therefore in Spain,” says Katzer. The eBus was ordered by the transport company Auto Periferia S.A., a subsidiary of the Spanish Grupo Ruiz.

“We are delighted with these successes, which we owe to our customers, but also to the tireless efforts of our bus team,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus. “In the new year, we clearly want to continue to drive forward the transformation towards sustainable mobility and increase our sales of battery-electric buses. It was always clear to us that we would develop and continuously optimize our eBus in close cooperation with our customers. After all, our goal was and is to offer the best electric city bus and to provide the best possible support to transport companies on their way to sustainable public transport. The fact that our efforts have been rewarded by the market and many experts is a great success,” Oktay sums up.