The jury of the Automotive Brand Contest awarded the MAN Lion’s City E the internationally coveted design prize in the Commercial Vehicle category.
MAN Lion’s City E Achieves its Next Triumph
Following on from the 2020 iF Design Award, the MAN Lion’s City E has now achieved its next triumph: The jury of the Automotive Brand Contest awarded the all-electric city bus the internationally coveted design prize in the Commercial Vehicle category.
“The Automotive Brand Contest is the only neutral international design competition for automotive brands, so the competition is tough. That makes it all the more pleasing to us that the MAN Lion’s City E won,” says Rudi Kuchta, Head Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus. He goes on: “The award shows how well the design of our electric bus has been received. Behind it all is a highly motivated team that has done a great job over the past few years. It’s something to be really proud of.”
One of the winning features of the MAN Lion’s City E was its timelessly modern and expressive look. “Our designers took the consistently well thought-out concept of the new city bus generation and developed it into a ground-breaking e-mobility design. What has emerged is an electric bus that has a design all of its own, yet is immediately recognisable as a member of the new MAN Lion’s City family,” comments Stephan Schönherr, Vice President Styling Bus, and the man responsible for bus design for the MAN and Neoplan brands. He adds: “This latest award in the Automotive Brand Contest, and many other prizes including the 2020 iF Design Award, impressively affirm the great work done by our team. They also underline our basic idea that buses designed for the urban transport needs of today and tomorrow must also look attractive.”
Automotive Brand Contest jury: Design Sets Standards
The elegant Smart Edge design of the all-electric city bus introduces dynamic new styling to the cityscape which makes it a real eye-catcher. What’s more, model-specific design elements emphasise the vehicle’s special feature: its electric drive. What is particularly eye-catching is the exterior design with its high-quality lateral blade, which is typical of many MAN buses, and the elegant and well-proportioned roof structure. An impressive feature inside the vehicle is the optimised, airily lit seating area in the rear, resulting from the omission of the engine tower. The jury’s award honoured the dynamic, timeless lines, giving the bus a styling all of its own, as well as the use of new technologies and materials to save weight. “The entire exterior is segmented. The colour, trim and lighting concept imbues the disabled-accessible interior with a bright and spacious feel. The ergonomically styled driver’s cockpit incorporates impressively high levels of functionality,” the jury’s verdict states.
The MAN Lion’s City E was launched publicly at the 2018 IAA show. Since then, it has been impressing everyone with its smart design and high-end technology. Thanks to its well thought-out overall concept, the electric bus, with its tried and proven cell and battery technology, makes it as easy as possible for public transport operators to enter the world of e-mobility.
In its Automotive Brand Contest, the German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung) awards prizes every year in recognition of exceptional product and communications design. The jury comprising journalists, design and communications experts and academics presents the awards in a total of 13 categories and four special categories.
