Neoplan Автобус в хронологическом порядке

One of the most important dates in the NEOPLAN company history in the new millennium is without doubt 20 June 2001: this was the day on which Gottlob Auwärter GmbH & Co. KG was acquired by MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG in Munich – thus establishing an important milestone for the future development of the company.

NEOPLAN and the bus division of MAN were initially managed under the umbrella of NEOMAN GmbH in Salzgitter. On 1 February 2008, the bus division was then integrated into the MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Group in order to benefit from the synergies within the internationally active Group. Today, all NEOPLAN models are built in the modern MAN bus plant in Ankara – a tradition that was successfully started with the new Tourliner in 2003. The vehicle was still presented in the former parent factory in Möhringen under the motto "Tourliner Summertime" in July 2003. An initial design concept had previously been presented at the IAA 2002 under the name "X-liner" – the vehicle created a stir not least due to its fluorescent green paintwork. For the start of sales of the two models as a two-axle vehicle (Tourliner SHD) and long three-axle vehicle (Tourliner SHD L), many changes were therefore incorporated based on customer feedback.

The idea at the time was both simple and made industrial sense. MAN’s standard Lion’s Coach – developed under the aegis of former technology director Ernö Bartha – had recently been revamped in 2002 and was to serve as the technical basis for the first NEOPLAN coach. The goal was to supplement the tradition-rich model range of Starliner, Cityliner, Skyliner and Euroliner and to extend it into the standard coach segment. The Tourliner was also one of the first models from the drawing board of the newly set up NEOPLAN design department headed by Michael Streicher (Exterior) and Andrea Lipp (Interior). Michael Streicher quickly became known as the creator of the NEOPLAN-specific and brand-defining Sharp Cut design for the Starliner and Cityliner. The styling can also be found in the essence of the second generation of the vehicle with its clearly defined "Angel Eyes".

The first-generation Tourliner was a typical "child of its time". Since it shared the skeleton – an important basic component of every bus – with its MAN counterpart, the traditionally forward-angled window pillars and split windscreen were omitted here for the first time, as on the economical Euroliner intercity/touring coach, thus permitting clear differentiation from the Starliner and Cityliner premium products. In spite of this, the design team still succeeded in providing the coach with an extremely dynamic appearance through the significantly forward sloping B-pillar as a characteristic design element – and this is how it has remained up to the present day. Instead of the free-form headlights of the MAN Lion coach, the Tourliner shone with the typical NEOPLAN single-spotlight headlights, while round LED lights were used at the rear – well before they were introduced on other buses. Overall, the design very cleverly shows the transition in the NEOPLAN design language from the previous century to the new one, without stealing the thunder for the two new Starliner and Cityliner models, which were launched shortly afterwards. The interior of the first Tourliner still featured many rounded elements and the light-blue interior (Beach Blue) that had been popular over many years. In contrast to the MAN brother, the first generation also had the platforms typical for NEOPLAN.

With these high-quality characteristics, it did not take long for the NEOPLAN Tourliner to excite a wide range of customers. A total of around 2,500 vehicles from the first generation were registered, including right-hand-drive models that were marketed above all in the United Kingdom. Of these around 70 per cent were the 12-metre two-axle version. One coach even found its way to the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa, while other models were fitted out as exclusive team buses, above all for professional cycling. Thanks to its attractive price-performance ratio, the Tourliner has always also been a popular choice for long-distance scheduled service operation – not least due to the now continuous flat floor and the optional wheelchair lift above the front or rear axle.