MAN buses: history, Lion's City and type codes A21, A37

MAN has built commercial vehicles since 1915, when truck production started in Lindau, Germany, together with the Swiss company Saurer, and it has made buses since its early years. Today its best-known buses are the Lion’s City for urban service and the Lion’s Coach for touring.

In used bus listings, our own stock included, MAN city buses often appear under codes such as A21, A37 or A66 and names such as NL 263. Below you will find the history, what each code means and what to check on a used MAN bus.

What is the history of MAN buses?

MAN entered commercial vehicles in 1915 through the joint company M.A.N.-Saurer in Lindau. In 1924 it presented the world’s first direct-injection diesel engine for a vehicle, together with buses on a low-frame chassis.

A few years later it built its first three-axle buses and trolleybuses. In 1971 MAN took over Büssing, and the Salzgitter plant became its bus production centre. It bought Neoplan in 2001, and since 2011 the company has been called MAN Truck & Bus.

What is the MAN Lion’s City?

The Lion’s City is MAN’s family of city buses. The name arrived in September 2004 as the sales name for every MAN city bus, which until then had been sold under designations such as NL 263 or NG 313. In autumn 2004 all models were presented with updated styling and engineering.

The family covers 12-metre solo buses, 18-metre articulated buses, long versions of 13.7 and 14.7 metres, a 10.5-metre midibus, low-entry (LE) versions and a hybrid. Most low-floor city buses are built in Starachowice, Poland, while the Lion’s City LE comes from Ankara.

A new Lion’s City generation on a new platform was announced in July 2017. MAN launched it in 2018, and series production started in 2019. The electric Lion’s City E has been built in series since 2020.

What do the codes A21, A37 and A66 mean on MAN buses?

A21, A37 and A66 are MAN’s internal type codes. They are part of the chassis number (VIN) and describe the basic design of the vehicle, which is why listings often use them in place of a model name. One code can cover vehicles from many years and several emission classes.

The A37 started in 2002 as a three-door bus for the Italian and Spanish markets. Its upright engine sits in one rear corner, so the floor stays low along the whole aisle. MAN later used the same code for the Lion’s City Hybrid with supercapacitors, available from 2010. The A66 is a smaller low-entry bus suited to narrow streets, with the 6.9-litre D0836 engine.

Before you buy, ask for the registration document and check the code in the chassis number. A 1999 “MAN A21” and a 2008 one differ a great deal in engine, emission class and equipment.

What do NL 263, NL 283 and NG 313 mean?

The first letter shows the floor type and the second the body layout: N for low floor, E for low entry, L for solo, G for articulated, D for double-decker and Ü for intercity. Drop the last digit of the number and you get roughly the output in horsepower, so an NL 263 has about 260 PS.

The final digit 3 marks the series. NL 263, NL 283 and NL 313 all belong to the xx3 series, and their predecessors were the NL xx2 (A10). A “MAN NL 263 A21” is therefore a low-floor solo city bus from the xx3 series with about 260 hp.

Which engines do MAN city buses use?

MAN Lion’s City buses mainly use inline six-cylinder engines. You will find the horizontally mounted 10.5-litre D2066, the larger 12-litre D2866 in older buses and the 6.9-litre D0836 in the midibuses. Natural gas versions were also built.

What changes in daily use between Euro 5, EEV and Euro 6, with AdBlue and a particulate filter, is covered in Euro 5, EEV or Euro 6.

What is the MAN Lion’s Coach?

The Lion’s Coach is MAN’s touring coach. It was presented in 1996 and is built in Ankara by the subsidiary MANAŞ. The second generation (2002 to 2017, with internal codes such as R07 and R09) had D2066 (10.5 l) and D2676 (12.4 l) engines, and the third was presented at Busworld in Kortrijk on 24 October 2017.

The third generation has the 12.4-litre D2676 LOH, Euro VI, with 316 to 375 kW depending on the version, and was voted Coach of the Year 2020. Used examples are listed on our page for used MAN Lion’s Coach buses. For a comparison with the equivalent Mercedes-Benz coach, see the Tourismo.

What should you check on a used MAN bus?

On a used MAN, check the type code and engine in the registration first. Then move on to the automatic gearbox, the doors, the air suspension and kneeling, rust and, on Euro 5, EEV and Euro 6 buses, the exhaust aftertreatment system.

1. Code and engine: confirm A21, A37 or another code in the chassis number, and the engine in the documents.
2. Gearbox: the city buses have ZF or Voith automatic gearboxes. Ask when the oil was last changed and check the shifts on the test drive.
3. Doors and ramp: three doors on an A37 mean more mechanisms to check.
4. Engine bay: on an A37 with the upright engine, look for oil and coolant leaks in the engine corner.
5. Hybrids: on a Lion’s City Hybrid, ask for the history of the supercapacitors and the electric motors.

The points that apply to every bus, and what each finding means, are in our pre-purchase inspection checklist. If you are comparing with a Mercedes-Benz city bus, read about the Citaro.

Where can you find used MAN buses?

The MAN city buses we have available are on the used MAN Lion’s City page, and all city buses are under city buses. The vehicles are our own and stand at our premises in Litochoro, Pieria, where you can check the code and the engine and take a test drive.

If you are looking for a specific code, for example an A21 Euro 5 or a three-axle Lion’s Coach, tell us and we will search for it. Call +30 23520 61222 or send a message on WhatsApp (+30 6977 400157).