He came, he pleased and he won: Paweł Pabich’s “White Lion” MAN TGX took first place in the “MAN Truck Champions Europe 2023“. A total of around 200 entrepreneurs and drivers from 18 countries entered the competition for the most beautiful lion truck on Europe’s roads, which was organised by MAN Truck & Bus. The overall winner from Poland and the four other finalists from Germany, Italy, Turkey and Great Britain received their awards from Friedrich Baumann, Executive Board Member for Sales & Customer Solutions at MAN Truck & Bus at the MAN Trucknology Festival 2023. The large industry event with more than 200 trucks set up in different ways, over 40 bodybuilder stands, operational demonstrations and test drives attracted around 7000 visitors to the grounds of the main plant in Munich. The new MAN eTruck for daily ranges of up to 800 kilometres aroused particularly great interest among hauliers, drivers and logistics specialists, with more than 500 order enquiries already received before its market launch.
“It is not only the exceptionally beautiful trucks that we are honouring here today that are champions. True champions are above all the drivers who ensure day and night that goods and merchandise get to where we all need them every day. We are celebrating this today with the MAN Truck Champion 2023, but also with the MAN Trucknology Festival. Because in the transport industry it is still the personal exchange between people that counts for practical solutions and ideas that make logistics possible in the first place. That’s what we’re celebrating here today with drivers, transport companies, body specialists and suppliers,”
MAN has invited customers, said a delighted Friedrich Baumann, Executive Board Member for Sales and Customer Solutions at MAN Truck & Bus at the Truck Champion awards ceremony.
At the beginning of May, MAN Truck & Bus announced the “MAN Truck Champions 2023” competition. Owners and drivers of MAN trucks with a gross vehicle weight of more than 18 tonnes, decorated, personalised or customised on the exterior or interior, were eligible to compete for the title of the most beautiful MAN truck in Europe.
The most beautiful MAN truck in Europe comes from Poland
260 participants from 18 countries answered the call and submitted pictures and descriptions of their visually special vehicles: The impressive range of truck beauties ranged from artistically valuable airbrushes on the sides of the driver’s cab to a MAN TGX 18.640 in gold paint. From 31 May to 11 June, public votes could be cast on the social networks Facebook and Instagram as well as on the channels and websites of “Trucker’s World by MAN“. After that, the most beautiful trucks in each individual country were determined. The top 5 participants, including the winner at European level, were also determined by a public vote on the same channels from 15 to 25 June.
European winner Paweł Pabich was visibly proud at the MAN Truck Champions finals when his vehicle – an all-white MAN TGX – was awarded “Most Beautiful MAN in Europe“. “The interior items are my own design and were made to measure. The beautiful snow white, the lighting and all the innovative additions that can be seen from afar make my truck unique and original,” said the lucky winner about his “White Lion“.
MAN Trucknology Festival 2023: A festival for the team players of logistics
The MAN Trucknology Festival, which took place from 6 to 8 July at MAN Truck & Bus in the Truck Forum and on the neighbouring test track, provided a worthy setting for the grand finale, to which the three participants with the most votes arrived with their prize-winning trucks.
MAN had invited customers, body manufacturers and members of the “Trucker’s World by MAN” driver community to the exclusive event to experience around 220 trucks, vans and body solutions at first hand. All segments were represented, from distribution and long-distance transport, construction, food and heavy haulage as well as municipal and fire services, across the tonnage range from 3.5 to 250 tonnes.
Visitors not only learned about sustainable and intelligent transport solutions from MAN Truck & Bus and its approximately 75 partners on site, including Continental, Fliegl Trailer, Humbaur, Kögel, Krone, Liebherr, Schmitz Cargobull and Würth. They also received detailed first-hand information about MAN Services & Solutions and current trends in the transport industry: digitalisation, automation and zero emissions. Moderated demonstrations and dynamic vehicle presentations made the innovative technologies an exciting live experience.
And of course the visitors were also allowed to take the wheel themselves and test drive some models on the MAN test track and on the road. Also there for the first time: the new high-range MAN electric truck for all applications, for which 500 orders have already been received.
Three days, happy winners and many emotions made by MAN Truck & Bus, which underlined the sustainable potential of transport solutions from Munich and at the same time made it clear: Trucks are a mainstay of supply world-wide – day after day.