(English version you can find under Czech.) Vzhledem ke zvyšujícímu se počtu zahraničních návštěvníků v rubrice Autobusy zejména z Google uveřejňujeme kromě překladu BUSportálu také původní nezkrácenou tiskovou zprávu v angličtině za tímto překladem. Ta je určena i těm, kterým nestačí zkrácená česká verze.

Paleta městských autobusů MAN Lion's City zaznamenala další úspěch v důležité soutěži. Double-decker pro Berlin Transport Authority BVG získal vytoužený titul "iF-award" následně po základním modelu poctěném i titulem "City bus of the year 2006" čtenářů ETM (lastauto omnibus).

"Dopravní" sektor soutěže, který zahrnuje také automobily a obytné přívěsy, vybral nový městský bus s elegantním a atraktivním designem z 2000 přihlášek ze 37 zemí. Porota 19 mezinárodních designérů a odborníků vedená Fritzem Frenklerem (f/p design) udělila 16 cen v "Dopravě".

Industrie Forum Design s ústředím v Hanoveru je jedno z nejstarších evropských designérských center. Bylo založeno v roce 1953 Deutsche Messe AG, německou Industrial Association/BDI a několika dalšími společnostmi. iF-award je jedna ze čtyř nejdůležitějších designérských cen na světě. 50 vítězú zlatého ocenění v jednom roce se schází v "iF gold selection", jakési síni slávy. Vyhlášení proběhne na CeBIT 9.3. 2006.

Hlavní kriteria pro výrobek designérů MAN zodpovědných za Lion’s City DD (Stephan Schönherr, Sven Gaedtke a Thoralf Keipert):

• Důraz na vysokou kvalitu, moderní nízkopodlažní technologii, atraktivní exteriér - realizováno poprvé na třech nápravách.
• Zlepšení ergonomie a ovládání vozidla ve vztahu k řidiči i cestujícím.
• Stanovení typické identity - značky s vysokým rozlišením MAN Corporate.
• Vývoj designu s dlouhou životností bez následování dílčích módních trendů.
• Realizace atraktivních a působivých alternativ vozidel veřejné dopravy.
• Vizuální přizpůsobení výšky (přes 4 m) karosérie tak, aby nepůsobil z žádné perspektivy nebezpečně.

Nový městský autobus MAN zřetelně ukončuje éru rovných linií a rohů. To je jasné již zepředu, kde jednolité přední sklo s integrovaným displayem přechází až do střechy - u doubledeckeru je zdůraznění jednotnosti dosaženo černým povrchem. Nový design má i záď vozu s širšími světly v panelu motoru a ukazuje příslušnost k rodině autobusů MAN.

Unifikovaná forma následuje konzistentně celkovým designem obou pater. Interiér i exteriér se stylizovanými, hladkými a snadno udržovanými povrchy podporovaný dynamickými liniemi a moderními prvky je navržen jako hřejivý a vstřícný, ale i sportovní a sebevědomý. Cestující ho pociťují jako rychlý a bezpečný.

Seriové dodávky pro Berlín

První série double-deckerů MAN Lion’s City DD pro dopravce BVG v Berlíně byla předána začátkem září. Autobus byl představen při příležitosti události zaměřené na historii - “100 years of motor buses“. Nový MAN double-decker je první double-decker s karosérií MAN ve stoleté historii tzv. "velkých žlutých". Celkem téměř 6000 autobusů bylo dodáno po dobu stoleté spolupráce mezi BVG a Büssing/MAN.

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Z tiskové zprávy NEOMAN Bus GmbH Press/Public Relations (BVM-K) vybral a přeložil BUSportál.

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Double-decker MAN Lion’s City DD takes the renowned "iF-award 2006" design prize Stuttgart

The MAN Lion''''s City range of city buses has notched up a further success in the important design competitions. Following the basic model''''s winning the iF-award last year and being voted "City bus of the year 2006" by the ETM reader''''s poll (lastauto omnibus), now the double-decker for the Berlin Transport Authority BVG has been accorded this coveted title.

In the "Transportation" sector of the competition, which also covers cars and mobile homes, the new city bus with its elegant and very attractive design was selected from a total of 2000 entries from 37 countries. The jury, which was made up of 19 internationally active designers and experts and was chaired by Fritz Frenkler (f/p design), awarded a total of 16 prizes in the "Transportation" discipline. Apart from design quality and selection of material the environmental compatibility and ergonomics of the products entered were assessed.

Headquartered in Hanover, Industrie Forum Design is one of Europe''''s oldest design centres and was founded in 1953 by Deutsche Messe AG, the German Industrial Association/BDI and a few other design-orientated companies. The iF-award is one of the four most important design prizes in the world. For the second time the 50 winners of the iF gold awards from one year will also be grouped together in an "iF gold selection", a kind of hall of fame for the iF competition year. They will be announced at the CeBIT on 09th March 2006.

The major criteria for the work done by the MAN designers responsible for the Lion’s City DD, Stephan Schönherr and his colleagues Sven Gaedtke and Thoralf Keipert, were:

• Emphasising the high-quality, modern low-floor technology by means of an attractive exterior, this being realised for the first time in a three-axle vehicle
• Improving ergonomics and operation of the vehicle for both the driver and the passengers
• Establishing a brand-typical identity with a high recognition factor in line with the MAN Corporate Identity
• Developing a design that is modern despite the fact that it does not follow any particular modish trends, in other words a "long-life design"
• Realising an attractive and appealing alternative to the car for public transport and one that is also and above all suitable for use by the disabled
• Visual adjustment of the high (over 4 m) vehicle corpus so that the bus does not look threatening to passengers from any perspective.

The new MAN city bus range visibly marks the end of the era of straight lines and edges. This is clear right at the front, where the one-piece laminated windscreen with integrated destination display extends far up into the roof and, in the double-decker, is additionally emphasised as a unit by means of black-painted surfaces. At the same time it is visually enlarged downwards too, which, together with the rounded front panel and headlights, ensures an airy and open appearance. The shaped front panel with a hint of three ribs serving as a guide for the headlight and indicator graphics conveys a self-confident and extremely modern impression that continues dynamically into the sides. The entire front is divided into eight segments to make for easier repairs. Below the windscreen there is now no panel that covers the full width of the vehicle. The rear too has been redesigned and, with its wider lamps in the engine panel, shows some family resemblance to the MAN coaches and intercity buses.

The unified formal language continues consistently through the entire design of both the upper and lower deck. The interior and exterior with styled, smooth and easy-clean surfaces supported by dynamic lines and modern stylistic elements are designed to be warm and inviting but also sporty and self-assured. The dynamic form stands for the product''''s higher quality grade, and with this formal language it conveys to passengers the feeling of security and speed.

Series deliveries to Berlin have started

The first series vehicle of the MAN double-decker model designated Lion’s City DD for the Berlin transport authority (BVG) was handed over by Martin Scharrer, member of the management team of NEOMAN Bus GmbH, to Thomas Necker, member of the Executive Board of BVG responsible for operations, at the beginning of September. The bus was presented at a large event focusing on the history of “100 years of motor buses“. The new MAN double-decker is the first double-decker with a bodywork by MAN in the 100-year history of the “big yellows”. A total of almost 6,000 buses have already been delivered in the course of the almost 100-year co-operation between the Berlin transport company (BVG) and Büssing/MAN.

Built in the production network of NEOMAN Bus GmbH at the Plauen body structure plant in Saxony and at the Pilsting plant in Bavaria, the three-axle double-deckers will be successively delivered, and from the 20th vehicle the interior will then be completely fitted out at BVG in Berlin. NEOMAN Bus GmbH and BVG signed the contract for 101 MAN double-decker city buses with an option for a further 100 vehicles about two years ago. The order is worth about € 40 million.

“We are very pleased to be able to crown the almost hundred-year co-operation with the Berlin transport authority and its predecessor companies with this vehicle series,“ said Martin Scharrer from NEOMAN Bus GmbH. “The almost 6000 Büssing and MAN vehicles supplied to date – many of which were double-deckers – have become a distinctive feature in the city over the past years. And the repeated success of our city buses in design competitions shows that we are on the right track here too“. It took nearly twelve months to develop the double-decker, which makes use of the design and technology of MAN’s new Lion’s City bus range presented to the general public at the IAA for commercial vehicles in Hanover in 2004. In collaboration with the BVG technicians the specifications of the Berlin transport company have progressively been implemented. In this way a comfortable, environmentally-friendly double-decker bus has come into being which meets all the demands of handicapped passengers as well as all other Berliners.

With its length of 13.73 m the three-axle Lion’s City DD offers space for 128 passengers (83 seated, 45 standing). It can also be upweighted from 26 to 28 tonnes permissible gross weight, which in turn increases passenger capacity by 29 to 157. The interior with 1,920 mm headroom on the lower deck and 1,700 mm upstairs and seat spacing of 700 mm creates a feeling of space. That is reflected in the two wide staircases at front and rear too. The rearward one made of glass fibre components occupies the full width of the vehicle and is thus especially comfortable to use. The bright and cheery interior can be put to very good use thanks to the low-floor design. Passengers enter via one inward-swinging door and two wide plug doors.

The new MAN low-floor double-decker bus is a separate development and embodies NEOMAN''''s united competence in the running gear (MAN) and double-decker body (NEOPLAN).

NEOMAN Bus GmbH Press/Public Relations (BVM-K)