MAN bus business increased revenue of 35% in 2023 (with e-buses covering 1/3 of city bus sales)

MAN Truck & Bus’s bus business recovered noticeably in the 2023 fiscal year and is back on track for success, the group announces. Sales revenue amounted to € 1.621 billion – an increase of 35% compared to the previous year (€ 1.198 billion). In the same 2023, unit sales of MAN and NEOPLAN buses increased by around 19% from 4,806 to 5,703 units.

With 771 Lion’s City E buses sold, MAN almost tripled its sales of electric city buses compared to the previous year (263 units) taking the lead of the segment (and the 771 e-buses corresponded to almost 30 percent of the city buses sold by MAN in Europe).

In the current year, we aim to further improve our performance to make the bus business sustainably profitable again. Our order book is already well filled. One highlight on the product side is the launch of the 2024 model year with smart features for our customers. The ramp-up of the new buses is also a major challenge for our team. Other challenges include the economic conditions and high material and energy costs in Europe as well as an increasingly competitive market environment.

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus, MAN Truck & Bus

MAN 2023 bus results show leadership in e-buses

MAN is very successful on the market with its Lion’s City E electric city bus series. In the 2023 fiscal year, annual sales amounted to a total of 771 electric buses, which corresponds to almost 30 percent of the city buses sold by MAN in Europe (EU 27+3).

The company expects half of MAN’s new city buses are to be electric by 2025, aiming to deliver up to 90 percent of its buses in Europe with battery drive by 2030 (which would be in line with the intermediate target in discussion at the EU level in view of a full electric city bus market in 2035).

MAN states it is also focusing on the electrification of intercity buses and coaches, with the MAN eCoach set to make its debut as early as 2025.

Transformation in place at MAN bus business

As part of a comprehensive transformation, MAN Truck & Bus “realigned the bus business last year – and trimmed it for the future with comprehensive measures to improve earnings. After sales of buses fell drastically due to the effects of the covid crisis, the bus market recovered in 2023“, the group states.

MAN stresses that “extensive product innovations with the 2024 and 2025 model years should further strengthen the position of the MAN and NEOPLAN brands. In addition, the MAN bus division, with its three production sites in Starachowice (Poland), Ankara (Turkey) and Olifantsfontein (South Africa), is ideally positioned within the Group – also with regard to the current challenges posed by the ongoing electrification of the portfolio”.

MAN doubled number of coaches in 2023

“The MAN bus business is back on track! After a difficult phase in recent years, we significantly improved our performance in the 2023 fiscal year and achieved a turnaround. With a strong team, we realigned the bus division and worked consistently on our measures to improve earnings. The fact that the MAN bus division is now reporting significantly improved figures again for 2023 is a great team achievement that we can all be very proud of,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus since March 2023. “In the current year, we aim to further improve our performance to make the bus business sustainably profitable again. Our order book is already well filled. One highlight on the product side is the launch of the 2024 model year with smart features for our customers. The ramp-up of the new buses is also a major challenge for our team. Other challenges include the economic conditions and high material and energy costs in Europe as well as an increasingly competitive market environment.”

“All segments recorded strong growth. The market for coaches in particular, which was hit especially hard by the pandemic, improved noticeably. We more than doubled sales of coaches in the 2023 fiscal year to over 1,100 vehicles. Together with our successes in electric city buses and thanks to a strong team performance, we are now well positioned in the market again,” emphasizes Robert Katzer, Head of Sales & Product Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.