The Paruk Group has ordered 100 fully electric city buses from MAN Truck & Bus South Africa (MAN SA).

This is the German mobility group’s largest e-bus order outside Europe to date.

“This order is an important step on our journey to make urban transport around the world even cleaner, quieter and safer,” says MAN Truck & Bus head Barbaros Oktay.

“At the same time, it demonstrates the strategic importance of our international chassis business.”

The Paruk Group has ordered 100 Lion's Explorer E vehicles. The bus is based on the Lion's Chassis E, which has been developed specifically for markets outside Germany.

Unlike Europe, where MAN produces and sells complete buses, the focus in the global market is on chassis that are completed by certified body manufacturers in their respective countries.

With the Lion's Explorer E, MAN is producing both the chassis and the body in South Africa.

All 100 vehicles will be manufactured locally, with the chassis assembled at the MAN plant in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, and the bodies at the Olifantsfontein plant, in Gauteng.

The 12-m-long Lion's Explorer E is designed as a high-floor vehicle.

Four battery packs, each with a capacity of 80 kWh, are located between the axles under the floor.

Delivery of the bus fleet to the Paruk Group will begin next year, and will be completed by the end of 2027.

“We operate one of the largest MAN bus fleets globally – a testament to over 30 years of trust, partnership and shared vision,” says Paruk Group owner Mohmed Paruk.

“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.”

The company's entire fleet comprises around 2 000 buses, of which roughly 1 500 are MAN vehicles.

“We are proud to not only bring the first MAN e-buses on the African roads, but to be the first manufacturer – across both passenger and commercial vehicles – in the South African automotive industry to have localised the production of an electric vehicle,” says MAN SA MD Jan Aichinger.

MAN unveiled the first fully electric bus for the African market in Cape Town in 2023.

“Thanks to manufacturing in South Africa, we can ensure that the e-buses perfectly meet the needs of transport companies and that they can also be integrated into existing processes in the best possible way,” says Oktay.

“With the major order that has now been signed, we are convinced that electric mobility in South Africa will gain significant momentum.”

MAN Truck & Bus SA is the sales leader in the domestic bus market, with the goal to achieve this position in the electric bus market as well.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that the new e-bus is as well received in South Africa as our Lion's City E is in Europe, with almost 3 000 units already delivered,” says Oktay.