MAN to deliver 100 e-buses in South Africa (with local production)
MAN Truck & Bus has signed an agreement with the Paruk Group in South Africa for the delivery of 100 fully electric city buses. It is the company’s largest e-bus order outside Europe and a further step in the expansion of MAN’s international chassis business. The vehicles are based on the Lion’s Chassis E, developed […]
MAN Truck & Bus has signed an agreement with the Paruk Group in South Africa for the delivery of 100 fully electric city buses. It is the company’s largest e-bus order outside Europe and a further step in the expansion of MAN’s international chassis business.
The vehicles are based on the Lion’s Chassis E, developed for international markets where MAN supplies chassis to certified body manufacturers. In this project, both chassis and body will be produced locally: the chassis at the MAN plant in Pinetown, and the bodies at the Olifantsfontein site.
The 12-metre Lion’s Explorer E is a high-floor vehicle equipped with four battery packs of 80 kWh each, positioned under the floor between the axles. Production will start in 2026 and continue until the end of 2027.
MAN to deliver 100 electric buses in South Africa
MAN delivered its first fully electric bus for Africa in 2023, a Lion’s Explorer E manufactured and adapted locally for operation in Cape Town. The new order builds on that experience and is expected to accelerate the deployment of electric mobility in the region.
“This order is an important step on our journey to make urban transport around the world even cleaner, quieter, and safer. At the same time, it demonstrates the strategic importance of our international chassis business,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, adding: “We are delighted to be setting new standards for electric mobility on the African continent together with the Paruk Group.”
“We operate one of the largest MAN bus fleets globally – a testament to over 30 years of trust, partnership, and shared vision. Our move from diesel to electric isn’t just a technological shift but a promise to our continued focus on sustainable transport solutions in the region. It is a bold step – but with MAN at our side, it feels like a natural evolution,” says Mohmed Paruk, owner of the Paruk Group, which operates primarily in South Africa. The company’s fleet comprises around 2,000 buses, of which around 1,500 are MAN vehicles.
“We are proud to not only bring the first MAN eBuses on the African roads, but to be the first manufacturer, across both passenger and commercial vehicles, in the South African automotive industry to localize the production of an electric vehicle,” says Jan Aichinger, Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus South Africa.
