(From left) Oktay, MAN Malaysia managing director Andrew O’Brooks and Hemmerich with MAN TGS trucks.
MAN Truck & Bus Malaysia will continue to set high standards when it comes to after-sales and customer support, said MAN Truck & Bus SE head of area sales international Thomas Hemmerich.“We want to be benchmarked, and stand by our customers whenever they need. Customers are perfectly willing to pay more for reliability, and minimise downtime as well as enjoy better efficiency, low fuel consumption, and the most modern technology,” he said during a recent interview at MAN Truck & Bus Malaysia’s headquarters in Shah Alam.
MAN Truck & Bus is one of Europe’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers and transport solution providers.
Hemmerich pointed out that in November 2021, MAN became the first truck manufacturer in Malaysia to offer Euro 5 engines as standard across its entire product portfolio.
“We took a conscious decision to go down this route, to contribute to environmental protection. With highly sophisticated technology, we have challenges when it comes to prices or costs compared with Chinese and Japanese rivals.
“This is the key differentiator because we don’t want and will not be able to meet prices of Chinese producers. But we are definitely able to be benchmarked when it comes to customer support,” he said.
MAN prime movers serving various local companies.
In a move this May to provide flexibility for transporters to maximise the uptime of their MAN vehicles, MAN Malaysia’s Shah Alam service centre extended its operation hours to 18 hours from 8.30am to 2.30am the next day from Mondays to Fridays.
The addition of a late shift until 2.30am provided unprecedented flexibility to fleet owners.
They can now have the option of scheduling maintenance and repair of their vehicles at night so that they can be on the road during the day.
Drivers can rest in comfort at the customer lounge’s recliner sofas and have access to shower facilities and refreshments while waiting for their vehicles to be ready.
Also, at the 2024 edition of Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo (MCVE), MAN Malaysia presented its full range of low-emission commercial vehicles.
Leading the lineup was the MAN TGS Prime Mover, Malaysia’s best-selling Euro V specification Truck, in two variants – 6x4 and 6x2 ADR (European regulations for Dangerous Goods specification).
The latest MAN TGS is even more robust, further enhanced with better aerodynamics and equipped with a higher level of safety features.
Also on display was the MAN RR5 Bus/Coach chassis, which now comes with a Euro V-specification engine as standard.
This proven chassis from MAN is the ideal solution for intercity transport providers due to its proven fuel efficiency, low maintenance, total durability and reliability; and now, sustainability.
Enhanced with a full suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), it offers optimum safety to the driver, passengers and other road users.
The MAN TGE Van also made its official debut in Malaysia.
Powered by a fuel-efficient and low-emission 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, the MAN TGE is easily customisable as a Panel Van, Chassis Cab, Crew Cab, Combi Van or Mini Bus.
Also present at the interview was MAN Truck & Bus SE head of bus unit and senior board member Barbaros Oktay, who said Malaysia is a very important market.
“Lots of developments are ahead and there’s a young population. As countries develop, their transport needs are also developing in parallel. At MAN, we would like to bring our best products and technology here, to be a part of this journey,” said Oktay.
Oktay (left) and Hemmerich.
Regarding all-electric, zero-emission buses, Oktay said MAN had spoken to potential customers in Malaysia.
In Singapore, the company had recently unveiled the first unit of right-hand drive electric single deck MAN bus in Southeast Asia.
Singapore aims to replace half its fleet of 6,000 buses with zero-emission variants by 2030.
“We are hoping that there will be some new customers and opportunities as well in Malaysia (for all-electric buses),” said Oktay.
Hemmerich noted that MAN had sold more than 2,000 all-electric city buses in Europe.
“Last year, MAN held the top position in market share, for all-electric city buses in Europe,” he said.
Hemmerich added MAN’s recently launched hydrogen combustion engine trucks had received its first two orders in the Middle East.
The planned small series of 200 hydrogen combustion engine MAN hTGX trucks offers an alternative zero-emission drive variant for transporting heavy goods – such as in construction work and timber transport.
“They are for markets where the battery electric drive charging infrastructure is not there yet, but where customers still ask for zero emission solutions,” said Hemmerich.
The MAN hTGX offers high payloads and maximum ranges of up to 600km, in its 6x2 and 6x4 axle variants.
The hydrogen combustion engine H45 is based on the proven D38 diesel engine and is produced at the engine and battery plant in Nuremberg.
The H45 hydrogen combustion engine produces 383kW or 520hp and torque of 2,500Nm at 900-1,300rpm.
The direct injection of hydrogen into the engine ensures particularly fast power delivery.
With hydrogen compressed to 700 bar (CG H2) and a tank capacity of 56kg, the vehicle can be refuelled in less than 15 minutes.
“The advantage of MAN hTGX is that it uses an internal combustion engine (ICE) powered by hydrogen. It’s not a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). So, 70% of the parts are carried over from the diesel engine,” said Hemmerich.
He added that MAN has received strong interest in Australia for the MAN hTGX trucks.
“From a service and maintenance point of view, it’s not a huge difference, because it’s actually similar to compressed natural gas (CNG) technology,” said Hemmerich.
