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| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | July 1, 1935; 90 years ago (1935-07-01)[1][2] |
| Founder | Gottlob Auwärter [de][1] |
| Headquarters | Stuttgart, Germany[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Joachim Reinmuth (chairman of the board of management) former designers: Albrecht Auwärter, Bob Lee, Konrad Auwärter |
| Products | Buses Coaches Trolleybuses[3] |
Number of employees | 1,300 |
| Parent | MAN Truck & Bus SE |
| Website | neoplan.com |
Neoplan Bus GmbH is a Germanautomotive company thatmanufactures buses,trolleybuses andcoaches. It became asubsidiary ofMAN Truck & Bus SE in 2001.
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The company was founded byGottlob Auwärter [de] (1903–1993) inStuttgart in 1935, and manufacturedbodywork forbus andtruckchassis. By 1953, the company had moved away from manufacturing buses on truck chassis, to a partialmonocoque design with a steel tube skeleton, providing the structural support, enhanced by welded side panels.[4][5] The engine was moved to therear. In 1957,air suspension was made available.
In 1961, a new bus design, theTyp Hamburg, was unveiled at theGeneva Motor Show. Developed by the founder's eldest son, Albrecht Auwärter, and another student, Swiss national Bob Lee, as part of their dissertation atHamburg University. The design was the first bus to allow passengers to regulate their fresh air supply through a nozzle from two air ducts, commonly seen in contemporary designs, as well as offering air suspension.[6][7]
Both Albrecht and Lee joined Neoplan after graduating from university. Albrecht took over management of the company in 1965, and Bob Lee later became head of Engineering and Design.
In 1964, the founder's second son, Konrad Auwärter, developed adouble-deck bus design for a service bus as part of his dissertation.[6] The "Do-Bus" design had low weight, and could carry over 100 passengers. It also featured a low-frame frontaxle with forward-mountedsteering gear that permitted a low, flat floor. The double-deck principle was applied to the coach design, creating a high-capacity, comfortable touring vehicle. This vehicle was known as theSkyliner.
In 1971, the Cityliner was introduced to the public. This design had a passenger platform above the driver's cab, and included an onboard toilet. The vehicle also made use ofglass-fibre reinforced plastic for certain areas of the body; this was the first instance when this technique was used.
A second manufacturing facility opened inPilsting in 1973, and a third opened inKumasi, Ghana in December 1974 to support increasing orders.
Several more plants were added in the 1980s, including two in the United States. The United States plants were later spun off into a separate, and now defunct, independent company (Neoplan USA) that used the Neoplan name under licence. Chinese production started in 1986, originally producing North brand Neoplan buses via companies under theNorinco umbrella: this was spun off into a separate joint venture withYoungman.[8]
Further manufacturing facilities were opened during the 1990s and 2000s.
The Starliner was introduced in 1996, and would go on to win theBus of the Year award for two consecutive years – in 1998 and 1999.
In 1999 the company unveiled a prototype fuel cell bus.[5]
In 2001, Neoplan, or correctly, "Gottlob Auwärter GmbH & Co KG" was acquired byMAN AG subsidiaryMAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG to formNeoman Bus GmbH.[5] The Starliner won theBus of the Year award for two more consecutive years in 2001 and 2002.
In 2008, theGottlob Auwärter Museum was opened in Stuttgart, opposite the headquarters ofStuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG.
On 1 February 2008, Neoman Bus GmbH was fully integrated into the bus division of the larger MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Group, and ceased to exist in its own right. Neoplan andMAN Truck & Bus began operating as two separate but integrated marques of MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Group.
Media related toNeoplan at Wikimedia Commons
