PRESENTING THE NEW MAN
Page 17
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By any standard, the launch of MAN's IC (Trucknology Generation) heavyweights has been a major event: in the UK alone MAN Truck & Bus has spent mere than £2m just to bring its new baby to the market.
Instead of running a single-venue ride-and-drive event, MAN Ted will be sending 30 4x2 demo tractors on a tour of operators' depots. "We'll be taking the trucks to a customer's yard," says product marketing manager Mike teeming.
Each tractor will pull a new SDG triaxle curtainsider, rented at a cost of £85 a week for a minimum of 10 weeks. MAN has also splashed out on 30 sets of liveried curtains worth £2.000 apiece—and as few operators would give an unladen demonstrator a second glance, it has bought 750 tonnes of block paving worth £25,000 to serve as test loads. That might seem like a frivolous way to spend the company's money; in fact once the demo tour is over the blocks will be used to surface the yards at MAN's Edinburgh and Manchester dealerships. teeming reports that buying the paving now has saved £10,000 in storage fees.
The tour sounds like an effective way to show off the TO range, but it doesn't replace the razzamatazz we have come to associate with a major vehicle launch. MAN pulled out all the stops with a 45-minute live satellite extravaganza linking 37 countries and 97 venues across Europe. Seven host countries, including the UK, contributed to the presentation with five-minute entertainment slots. The UK boasted no less than 19 launch venues, including the NEC, with some 6,500 operators and their partners invited to attend the celebrations.
MAN is obviously planning to win new converts with the TO-A: 60% of guests at the launch don't currently run MIAs in their fleets. "We're talk
ing about a major invest ment," says Looming. "We're not just saying 'we're the other German manufacturer'—we're saying 'we are the German manufacturer'."
MAN expects the TO-A to reposition its image on whole-life costs, and particularly residuals. The company's strategy will include stepping up its UK contracthire and leasing activities. One of the questions we've had to ask is 'do we sell it, or simply provide it through contract hire and control residuals?'," says teeming. MAN clearly won't turn down a cash buyer, but teeming insists that "we've got to think outside of the box".
The first batch of TO-As were unveiled at Birmingham last week with a line-up based on the 410hp and 460hp XL/XXL chassis-cab, which ii. 2.5m wide. They will be followed ir September by the LX. L and M models based on the 2.24m-wide TO cab.
MAN will continue to sell the F200[ alongside the TO range for some time Senior MAN board member Gunther Dietz says that the TO will cost up ti 4% more than the F2000, but adch that this price premium will be offset by lower whole-life costs "and clear added value benefits to customers" Whether right-hand-drive chassis cal carry the same price premiun remains to be seen.