Twenty years of business partnership between the coach company ‘Der Krostitzer’ and MAN/NEOPLAN have been marked with a special vehicle. Lars Tscheschke, Service Manager at ‘Der Krostitzer’, was ceremonially presented with the symbolic key to the 7500th MAN Lion’s Coach at this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles.
The owner of the company, Maik Eckinger, already opted for a NEOPLAN Cityliner when purchasing his first vehicle back in 1996. The ‘Krostitzer’ fleet now consists of 12 coaches, eight of which are MAN/NEOPLAN vehicles. “In addition to the highly customer-orientated and professional support from our coach sales representative as well as the MAN Service Leipzig, the economic efficiency and extremely high levels of comfort provided by the MAN/Neoplan coaches are of major importance for our company,” said Lars Tscheschke on the occasion of the handover.
And now they are being joined by a very special new addition. The anniversary coach is a 13,260 mm long three-axle vehicle that will mainly be used under commission of the largest tour operator in central Germany, Polster & Pohl. The advantages of this coach include a large 10.7 m3 luggage compartment and numerous assistance systems for an extremely safe and comfortable journey. This is supported by a dual-mass flywheel in the driveline which allows for even smoother running. The coach is fitted with an MAN D2676 6-cylinder diesel engine with 440 HP (324 kW) at 1800 rpm. The coach can accommodate a maximum of 52 passengers.
As part of the ‘Safety Pack’ equipment on board, this modern coach is fitted with a Lane Guard System (LGS) with haptic warning as well as the MAN Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). The latest generation of Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) is included as standard. Entry lighting and a camera to monitor the second door help to even further improve safety.
MAN Truck & Bus introduced the MAN Lion’s Coach onto the market in 1996, at which time it was already being manufactured in Turkey by the MAN subsidiary MAN AS. What was originally intended as a low-cost alternative to the MAN Lion’s Star developed into the epitome of MAN coaches. 2002 saw the replacement of the previous models by a second generation. Today, customers can choose between three engines ranging from 400 to 480 HP – and from 420 to 500 HP with the new D26 engines – and three lengths from 12,000 mm to 13,800 mm.
“The MAN Lion’s Coach has become indeed a leading star of our range, and rightly so, in my opinion. Its levels of economy, safety and comfort are truly convincing,” Heiko Haumer, Vice President Sales Bus Regions & International Key Accounts, was pleased to say on the occasion of the handover.
