The executive board of MAN Truck & Bus AG has decided to streamline the product portfolio by stopping the production and sales of the MAN CLA. This model was geared specifically to the market needs of emerging economies, being positioned significantly lower than the TG series, and accounted for only a very small share of the company‘s truck sales. MAN will discontinue production in Pithampur, India, following the completion of existing customer orders and there will be no successor model.

Force Motors Ltd will purchase the Pithampur site and offer ongoing employment to the entire workforce.

“I am pleased that we have succeeded in finding such a positive solution for all those involved, which guarantees continued employment for our employees,” said Jörg Mommertz, head of MAN Trucks India.

The restructuring measures also envisage MAN Trucks India becoming an R&D Centre for Excellence supporting global projects.

Further initiatives to enhance efficiency have already been launched, aimed at providing higher efficiency across the entire company, prioritising investments and focusing on marked cost reductions.

“Our corporate strategy Future Lion is intended to provide MAN with a clear focus on markets and products,” said Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN SE and MAN Truck & Bus.

“This means that we will be subjecting both our product portfolio and our international market presence to close scrutiny with a view to highlighting customer needs, cutting costs and prioritising our investments. The path is clear – MAN Truck & Bus must become more profitable in order to continue investing in future topics. Or to put it more simply, we will be concentrating on things that are essential for the future of the company and will also have the courage not to continue certain other things.

“We are making MAN fit for the future. The foundation was laid with our PACE2017 programme for the future during which many processes were more efficiently structured. We are now building on this by stabilising what we have already achieved and directing special attention to firmly anchoring the concept of efficiency throughout the company on a long-term basis,” said Drees.