German commercial vehicle manufacturer, MAN Truck & Bus, has launched its first new generation of trucks in 20 years with new versions of the MAN TGX, TGS, TGM or TGL unveiled last week in Bilbao, Spain.
The trucks, painted in gold, were displayed at a media event with an aerodynamically improved vehicle to suit every on-road application between 7.5 tonnes and 46 tonnes gross vehicle mass.
An overhaul to its midrange D26 engine has seen a reduced exhaust gas recirculation rate whereby an electrical waste gate takes on the role of regulating the charging pressure, which makes it possible to raise the ignition pressure while reducing the fuel consumption even further.
MAN also promised significant reductions in Co2 while boasting the latest technology in driver assistance, safety features and digital networking.
Turn assist has been newly developed to help prevent serious accidents in urban environments
“MAN has involved customers and drivers in the development of the new MAN Truck Generation from the beginning, so that their requirements could consistently be made part of the new vehicle,” MAN said in a statement.
By integrating direct charge-air cooling, the components of the low-temperature cooling system can be removed, for weight gains in the engine leading to added efficiency.
Improvements in thermal management also ensure that the thermal conditions for operation of the engine and exhaust gas aftertreatment are constant.
An electrically regulated exhaust throttle valve with position feedback, modifies the exhaust gas pressure and exhaust gas temperature quickly and precisely.
Thermal conditions are kept constant with a regulated coolant pump, the fan speed sensor and an optimised oil cooler with thermostat.
The cab shell, aside from some redesigned external panels, remains the same with the major changes having taken place inside the cab.
It now features a new dashboard and a pair of colour screens, neither of which are touchscreens as MAN explains are not suitable for trucks given the difficulty of accurate operation while seated in an air-suspended seat.
A new multifunction steering wheel features two banks of switches. Those on the left are for driving the truck, while the right ones are dedicated to infotainment.
Headlight, hazard light and door lock switches have been moved to the bottom of the driver’s door and are now operated from outside the truck when the door is open.
The front on the truck is supposed to resemble the face of a lion, in deference to the company logo.
Around 22,000 new item numbers were integrated into all departments and nearly 4,000,000 kilometres went into testing prior to the market launch.
Operators can expect to see eight percent less in fuel consumption according to MAN.
“For their sake, we need to be one step ahead of these changes with all their direct and indirect effects. This is a huge, but at the same time, extremely exciting task – it means that we need to think in different, new dimensions as the manufacturer of our products. We do this with our new truck generation,” said Joachim Drees, the MAN Chairman of the Executive Board
MAN last launched new trucks in 2000.
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