It has fascinated people all over Europe and has now also inspired communications and media experts: the “Electrifying Europe Tour”. MAN Truck & Bus has now won at the Fox Awards with the spectacular road trip of the MAN Lion’s City E from Munich to Limerick in Ireland. 

The “Electrifying Europe Tour” went on stage more than half a year ago – and it is still electrifying. With the spectacular European eBus tour, MAN Truck & Bus has now won together with Axel Springer Corporate Solutions GmbH & Co. KG at the current Fox Awards. These honour efficient solutions from marketing and communication in print and digital. “We are very pleased about the award. After all, it clearly shows that our road trip with the MAN Lion’s City 12 E across Europe was also a complete success in terms of communication,” says Heinz Kiess, Head of Product Marketing Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, adding, “Our team succeeded in showing that e-mobility is a reliable alternative to the internal combustion engine that is suitable for everyday use and at the same time attracted attention – this was clearly demonstrated by the interest shown by people and journalists as well as the reporting in the countries visited.”

The FOX AWARDS jury, which consists of 18 renowned communications and media experts, was particularly impressed by the overall concept consisting of an extraordinary idea and its successful media accompaniment. In the reasons for the verdict, there was talk of opulent pictures, a gleaming bus that traveled electrically from Munich to Limerick, plus facts, interviews and background information on the subject of electromobility and the bus industry, as well as a likeable crew. “The editorial team succeeds in generating fascination for technology and positioning MAN as a partner of the bus industry. Successful!” was the jury’s verdict.

MAN team takes people on an extraordinary journey

The Fox Awards have been awarded for twelve years. At the current awards ceremony, there were 298 entries – one of which was the “Electrifying Europe Tour”, which received a golden Fox Award in the “Auto” category. The awards are primarily concerned with the impact and implementation of communication concepts, and thereby specifically with the question of whether messages reach the intended target groups. 

MAN Truck & Bus’s campaign for the “Electrifying Europe Tour” focused on the landing page at https://www.mantruckandbus.com/en/electrifying-europe.html, where current updates on each stage were published. “Every day we reported on our team’s experiences on the road to Ireland and presented background information on the topic of electromobility,” says Sebastian Lindner, Press Officer Bus & Coach at MAN Truck & Bus, adding, “This mix of facts and emotional, exciting and in some cases truly unbelievable experiences went down extremely well. We took people with us on our journey – with the help of videos, photos, travel reports and tips that we published on our website and social media.”

Ten days, almost 2,500 kilometers, eight countries, one tour

The journey of the MAN Lion’s City E began in Munich on April 29. Ten days later on May 8, 2022, it ended in Limerick, Ireland, where the all-electric city bus took part in the “International Bus Euro Test.” Which was hosted by Fleet Bus & Coach magazine. “And with success. Our Lion’s City E was named the international ‘Bus of the Year 2023,'” added Heinz Kiess. On its way to the event, the bus covered almost 2,500 kilometers in a total of eight countries. The aim of the road trip was to demonstrate the performance of fully electric city buses. “With the tour, our electric bus impressively demonstrated that it is already possible to travel emission-free throughout Europe. To do this, our team visited urban metropolises, undertook many cross-country trips with a wide variety of topographical conditions, and even crossed an Alpine pass,” says Kiess, adding, “We want to offer our customers solutions that can be easily integrated into their everyday lives, that simplify their business, and that are forward-looking and sustainable – like our Lion’s City E. That’s what drives us day after day.”