Evolution on the outside, revolution on the inside

Five years of hard work, intensive teamwork and numerous test runs: Manuel Marx and Stephan Schütt took the new MAN trucks from an idea on paper all the way to launch.

We meet MAN head of Complete Vehicle Development Dr Manuel Marx at the development workshop in Munich, which is normally only accessible to insiders. Manuel Marx is standing in front of his latest ‘baby’, a new MAN TGX. We ask him: What do think of the result of five years’ work?

We ask him: What do think of the result of five years’ work?

“We have significantly enhanced the strengths of the MAN truck, corrected its weaknesses, and made it fit for the future with the new EE architecture. What we have produced is an optimally balanced truck model,” he proudly asserts.

We turn to his team colleague Stephan Schütt, who as chief cab and chassis developer was responsible for modernising the new-generation MAN truck’s cab. 

What demands were the focus of the cab redesign?

“We deliberately placed the driver at the centre of our development. The challenge we faced was how to make the drivers’ job easier and also improve their living and sleeping comfort,” Stephan Schütt explains. To that end, the interior of the cab has been completely redesigned, while the exterior has been prudently updated in order to preserve the MAN brand identity.
“Evolution on the outside, revolution on the inside” is how Schütt sums up the innovation of the new truck generation.

We ask Manuel Marx: How was the development of a new truck generation actually initiated?

“As soon as a model completes a certain cycle and has been in operation with lots of transport companies, it’s time to start thinking about upgrading,” he adds. Ideas and new demands came from multiple sources: from the line departments at MAN, and above all from MAN’s customers, who contributed ideas on how to improve the existing truck family. New legal requirements in terms of crash safety coming into force in 2021 also played a role in our considerations. 

Do all the ideas from the pre-development process make it into a new vehicle?

“Not all ideas from pre-development reach the production stage. I’m particularly proud that we have implemented the MAN SmartSelect rotary pushbutton control in the new cockpit,” says Stephan Schütt. “It’s a revolution in terms of user-friendliness.” 

You can discover all the details of MAN SmartSelect and all the other innovations that the new MAN truck generation has to offer right here.