When Mark Zuckerberg was putting the finishing touches to Facebook in 2003, he probably didn’t reckon on being upstaged by an even more significant launch in the world of automotive design. And much as the media entrepreneur’s original name for his enterprise – TheFacebook – would ultimately emerge the following year with a minor tweak, so too did the latest innovation from MAN Truck and Bus evolve from the intriguingly-named ‘X-Liner’ to the now familiar Neoplan ‘Tourliner’ – one of the most successful launches of its kind.
At the time of its introduction, MAN boasted how new production technologies and components had helped develop a product that had ‘high economy and reliability’ and ‘an excellent price/performance ratio’. It could claim an enhanced interior design, re-designed cockpit, and a luggage compartment that ‘could now open up further than before!’
Its purpose was to take passenger and driver comfort levels to a place it had never been previously, to ease the pressure off the driver and make their place of work ‘as comfortable and convenient as possible’ which included the introduction of an electrically operated roller sunblind!
Fast-forward 20 years, and the new generation of Neoplan Tourliner has this same ethos of driver and passenger comfort at its core. It too takes advantage not only of the latest production techniques, but also the very latest in digital technology and a new digital cockpit described as ‘a clear step into the human machine interface future’.
Whereas 20 years ago the driver had ‘modern control panels, a joystick shift and a tried and tested multifunction display’, today it has an innovative ‘SmartSelect’ operation, the first of its kind to be installed in a bus or coach and featuring the full integration of the new electric platform and the latest ADAS systems to helps the driver to concentrate on their job without irrelevant distraction. The entire operating concept and the positioning of the MAN SmartSelect unit is not only convenient and easy to reach, but also safer; drivers can remain in their usual position and keep their attention on the road throughout.
A highlight of the new digital innovation is the new 12-inch diagonal colour digital screen. Two half-instruments in the centre reveal a large information surface. To this end, the rev counter and power meter have been moved to the right, doubling the display area of its predecessor. The display offers a ‘full screen’ view with large symbols in 3D optics and a detailed ‘home screen’ with a toggle display to the right and left of the central display for selecting. When the information placed to the side is selected, the two side pop-up menus slide like curtains from the outside inwards into the driver’s central field of vision. In this way, several pieces of information can be displayed in parallel and optimally perceived by the driver.
Like its predecessor, the Neoplan Tourliner is designed to deliver a host of benefits focused on comfort, safety, and operational efficiency. Beyond the digital technology, fully compliant and even exceeding relevant EU regulations, and the ergonomic driver position, are a host of further technologies to assist the driver in completing their journey safely. These include an enhanced Blind Spot Detection, Turn Assist, and other Awareness-based Systems which are particularly important in enabling the driver to ‘see’ pedestrians or cyclists at busy intersections and take pre-emptive avoiding action. There are systems that can reliably and accurately detect objects and potential hazards in the distance to warn the driver of a risk of collision and allow them time to take avoiding action.
There are also various tools to provide warnings if inadvertently/unintentionally moving lanes and to recognise traffic signs, restrictions and speed limits ahead. There are similarly systems – often using a three-stage warning cascade – to help with things like emergency braking to support the quickest and safest response to a potentially dangerous situation, and technology that helps monitor tyre pressures, temperatures and fuel consumption for optimum performance.
Like Zuckerberg’s Facebook, the 2024 Neoplan Tourliner has evolved and will continue to evolve to attract new audiences and users, but without losing sight of its original innovation, purpose and design. Two decades ago, it re-defined an industry; 20-years on, and with some 3,850 vehicles sold, it is still turning heads.
