The new MAN TGX has received the most prestigious award in trucking, having been crowned International Truck of the Year 2021 by a jury of 24 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists.

With a winning score of 155 votes, MAN‘s flagship fought off the strong challenge posed by the new Volvo FH range. The prestigious award was handed to Andreas Tostmann, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, during a virtual ceremony that took place at MAN‘s headquarters in Munich, Germany, during November.Based on the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) rules, the annual award is presented to the truck introduced into the market in the previous 12 months that is judged to have made the greatest contribution to road transport efficiency. Several important criteria are considered, including technological innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, fuel economy, environmental footprint and total cost of ownership.The new generation TGX brings the ITOY award back to the MAN brand for the first time in 12 years – being lauded as a big step forward in terms of comfort, safety, fuel efficiency, connectivity, advanced service portfolio, and human-machine interface. “There is no doubt why the new MAN TGX was voted Truck of the Year 2021.

Photo: Andreas Tostmann, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus.

It is a future-oriented truck that meets the transport needs of today and tomorrow,” says ITOY president Gianenrico Griffini.As soon as conceptual development work began for the new generation truck, MAN set about asking 300 transport companies and 700 drivers for regular feedback on their requirements for the new truck and incorporated this feedback into the design. Tostmann says the title ‘International Truck of the Year‘ is tremendous recognition for the outstanding work put in by the team at MAN.“For more than five years now, the team has been working with a single objective in mind: to develop the best truck for drivers and our customers and to get it out on the road. This coveted award just goes to show: we did it,” he says.The ITOY jury members appreciated the overall reduction in fuel consumption during extended test drives carried out at the February launch of the new range in Bilbao, Spain, and more recently between Germany and Austria in July. This was thanks to improved cab aerodynamics together with the D26 and D38 Euro 6d engines, optimised drive axle and the MAN EfficientCruise GPS-assisted cruise control – which now exhibits an even greater degree of anticipation. All this adds up to claimed fuel savings of up to 8.2% compared with the previous models. The ITOY jurors were just as positive about the living conditions in the new driver‘s cab.Technology plays an important role in the new TGX, impressing the ITOY members on numerous fronts. The jury praised the human-machine interface, based on an easy to read, fully digital colour instrument cluster and the ‘turn-and-press‘ MAN SmartSelect control system of the secondary display, along with the multifunction steering wheel. The jurors also highlighted the high level of safety systems, including the radar-based turn assist and lane change support systems, Lane Return Assist and assisted driving in traffic jams.

Photo: ITOY president Gianenrico Griffini.

Last but not least, the new MAN TGX made a particularly trendsetting impression with the ITOY experts thanks to the high degree of connectivity provided by its electronic architecture – which is the first of its kind in the commercial vehicle sector, and the range of associated digital services. New Zealand Trucking magazine editor and associate member of the jury, Dave McCoid, was able to spend time with the voting jury and other associate members at the February drive event in Spain. “The D26 Euro 6d engine range is frugal and as cutting edge as oil burners get, maybe will ever get. The trucks were a joy to drive. It is so wonderful to drive a premium truck in a country that knows how to build a road. But the real story in the new TG model range is its future-focused architecture both in terms of tech and propulsion. They‘re a cybernest waiting for tomorrow‘s world,” says McCoid. “Looks-wise the truck‘s an evolution for sure, more refined and slicker without doubt. The new interior is superb, so easy to familiarise yourself with and navigate your way around. Switches are placed in logical clusters, and speaking of ‘navigate‘, MAN‘s SmartSelect wheel for managing the mammoth 12” infotainment unit is a standout. Likewise, the switch set on the inside of the driver‘s door, accessible from the ground, is a fabulous tool and came about via the consultation with real-world drivers. “Congratulations New Generation MAN. Well deserved. Please don‘t be long getting here!”

NEW GENERATION WORKPLACE A WINNER

It‘s not only been a good year for MAN in terms of the New Generation TGX winning the ITOY crown, it also received a Red Dot in the renowned Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2020. “When MAN developed the new truck generation, it was obvious that the driver must be involved from the outset and be the focus of attention. Only in this way do we as a manufacturer know what the drivers really need. We have received a lot of positive feedback from customers and the trade media, and winning this great prize underlines once again that we are on the right track,” says Andreas Tostmann, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus. The workplace, designed according to the latest and consistent design criteria, allows the driver to intuitively operate the numerous assistance and comfort functions of the new MAN Truck Generation and therefor to steer his vehicle safely and efficiently. All operating elements are designed in such a way that they do not distract the driver‘s attention from what is happening on the road.

Another key criterion in the development of the driver‘s workplace of the new MAN Truck Generation was also to offer every driver the same high level of operating comfort quickly and in a self-explanatory manner, regardless of age, professional experience, or technical affinity. With its well-thought-out and practice-oriented driver‘s workplace, the new MAN Truck Generation makes a lasting contribution to simplifying the truck driver‘s everyday working life. Tracing its roots back to 1955, the Red Dot Design Award appraises diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, breaking down into the three disciplines of Red Dot Award: Product Design; Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design, and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. With more than 18,000 entries, the Red Dot Award is one of the world‘s largest design competitions.