Neoplan Skyliner

The Skyliner is the double-deck touring coach that MAN Truck & Bus sells under its NEOPLAN brand. Neoplan’s model page calls it “our flagship”, with a lounge, an on-board kitchen and a WC on the lower deck and two stairways to the upper deck. Neoplan’s history page dates the first Skyliner to 1967, when it was “unveiled to the public as the first ever double-decker coach”, and MAN’s release of 13 September 2023 says that all NEOPLAN models are built today at MAN’s bus plant in Ankara. Neoplan’s model menu lists the Skyliner and an express-bus version on the same body, the Skyliner Express, beside the Cityliner and the Neoplan Tourliner.

Dimensions and the two decks

The brochure prints the wheelbase as “6,700 / 1,470 mm”, and its side drawing on page 22 places the 1,470 mm between the second and third axles. The German brochure gives the same figures in German format and calls the 91-seat layout Schnellbus. The brochure’s text describes the coach as 14 metres long and 4 metres high, and MAN’s release of 22 September 2025 calls it “a four-meter-high double-decker coach”. The rows of a coach data sheet are explained in coach specifications explained.

Two figures differ between Neoplan’s own documents. The tables give a standing height of 1,680 mm on the upper deck and 1,840 mm on the lower deck, while the text of the English model page gives “the comfortable standing height of 1.80 meters” and the German page “1,80 Meter”. The tables give seating as “up to 83+1+1”, while the heading and text of the English model page give “up to 85 passengers”; MAN’s release of 22 September 2025 gives “up to 83 (travel version)” passengers.

Engine

The brochure and the model page list one engine rating for the Skyliner coach. Neoplan’s model page calls the engine “the new MAN D26 common-rail engine”, a six-cylinder in-line unit, and names its exhaust treatment as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) combined with selective catalytic reduction (SCR); the brochure heads its engine page “Power pack: the new D26 engine”. The model page gives the emission class as “Euro 6”, and no Neoplan document names a sub-step for the Skyliner. The Euro steps are set out in Euro 6 and Euro 7 explained.

MAN’s release of 22 September 2025 describes the drive system of the Skyliner Auwärter Edition as “an advanced MAN D26 engine and EfficientCruise 3 shift program”. The same release states that with up to 83 passengers in the travel version or 96 in the Skyliner Express, CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre fall “to well below ten grams”, a figure it says independent tests confirmed. The Skyliner that MAN showed at Busworld Europe 2019 had, according to MAN’s German release of 8 October 2019, a D2676 LOH of 510 PS (375 kW) with 2,600 Nm.

Gearbox

One gearbox is listed: the MAN TipMatic Coach, which the brochure calls an “automated 12-speed manual transmission” with “Easy-Start” and the English model page an “automated 12-speed manually operated gearbox with EasyStart”. Neither the Skyliner nor the Skyliner Express documents list an automatic gearbox. The difference between the two kinds of gearbox is set out in automated manual transmissions.

Neoplan’s EfficientCruise page, which lists the Skyliner, describes MAN EfficientCruise as a GPS-assisted cruise control that detects gradients up to three kilometres ahead and adjusts gear and speed, with four speed-tolerance levels (ECO Level I to IIII), and EfficientRoll as shifting the transmission to neutral on slight downhill gradients where that saves fuel.

Axles, suspension and brakes

The brochure gives a multi-link front axle with independent wheel suspension and stabiliser, a MAN hypoid rear axle with four location arms and a trailing axle printed as “EHLA (electronic hydraulic steering axle)”. The braking system is listed as “EBS with inner ventilated brake discs, ESP, MSC and Brake Assist System”. Neoplan’s model page describes CDS, Comfort Drive Suspension, as an active, electronically controlled suspension whose dampers adjust the firmness of the damping to changing load and driving conditions within milliseconds.

Neoplan’s MAN BrakeMatic page describes the system holding a set downhill speed “by operating the standard intarder respectivly retarder”. It sets the sustained-action braking speed 2 km/h above the cruise-control speed, and under Maximum Speed Control (MSC) it engages the sustained-action brakes when the maximum permissible speed of 100 km/h is reached. No Neoplan document opened gives a retarder rating. Neoplan’s TyreManagement page pairs tyre pressure monitoring, with “Automatic warnings when the set pressure drops below 20 percent and 40 percent”, with a tyre repair kit used in place of a spare wheel, which the page says saves around 100 kg. No Neoplan or MAN document opened gives a permissible total weight, a kerb weight, an axle load, a tyre size, or a fuel or AdBlue tank volume for the Skyliner.

Safety and driver-assistance systems

The September 2023 brochure lists nineteen “systems that stand for safety”: the electric parking brake (EPB), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), the Anti-Slip Regulator (ASR), CDS, the Electronic Braking System (EBS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), MAN BrakeMatic, MAN EfficientCruise with MAN EfficientRoll, Maximum Speed Control (MSC), Roll Over Prevention (ROP), MAN AttentionGuard, MAN OptiView, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Change Assist (LCA), Lane Return Assist (LRA), MAN Turn Assist, Traffic Jam Assist and High Beam Assist. The list marks no system standard or optional. Neoplan’s assistance-systems pages tag eighteen systems for the Skyliner, among them Emergency Brake Assist EBA Plus, a camera-based turn assist with pedestrian detection, Traffic Sign Detection, Tyre Pressure Monitoring and SafeStop Assist; the Lane Return Assist page calls that system “optional”.

The system pages describe each one. Adaptive Cruise Control works from 25 km/h with a radar range of about 150 m and acts on the engine torque, the retarder and the service brake. The Lane Guard System warns from 60 km/h, and AttentionGuard, built on it, shows a “Break Recommended” message for around ten seconds, with an audio signal and an optional haptic signal, at speeds over 60 km/h. Lane Return Assist watches the lane markings from 60 km/h and steers the coach back through the electronically controlled MAN Comfort Steering. Lane Change Support monitors the sides by radar from 50 km/h, about 8 metres to the front, 80 metres to the rear and 4.5 metres to the side, and warns in three stages through LED modules on the A-pillar. The radar Turn Assist covers almost 180° on the co-driver’s side and warns in three stages below 30 km/h; the camera-based turn assist uses one camera on the windscreen and one on the right-hand side and detects pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Traffic Jam Assist can be switched on up to 40 km/h and stays active up to 60 km/h. Traffic Sign Detection warns of speeding with a tolerance that can be set from 0 to 3 km/h.

Neoplan’s emergency brake page states that its emergency brake assist with sensor fusion “comes standard on all NEOPLAN vehicles subject to mandatory specification requirements for new vehicles effective from November 2015” and “already complies with stricter EU requirements applicable from November 2018”; in an emergency stop it sets off the Emergency Stopping Signal, a fast-flashing hazard warning. MAN’s release of 3 October 2025 says that SafeStop Assist “has been available” for the NEOPLAN Skyliner “since the 2024 model year”, and that the Skyliner Auwärter Edition at Busworld Europe 2025 had it as standard. Neoplan’s SafeStop page describes three warning stages, the last bringing the coach to a standstill, switching on the hazard lights, selecting neutral, applying the electronic parking brake and switching on the interior lighting. The EU rules behind several of these systems are covered in mandatory driver assistance systems.

MAN OptiView replaces the exterior mirrors with cameras and two displays in the cockpit. The brochure describes “two cameras installed in aerodynamic housings that replace the standard mirror arms”; Neoplan’s OptiView page describes “a close-range camera and a wide-angle camera on each side of the vehicle” and an HD display divided into four areas. MAN’s release of 13 September 2023 calls it “The world’s first mirror replacement system for coaches”, introduced in 2018, and MAN’s German release of 8 October 2019 said it would be available for all NEOPLAN models from 2020.

Cockpit

The brochure describes “the new cockpit of the Skyliner” with a 12-inch digital display, a multifunction steering wheel adjustable for height and tilt, and a 7-inch media display operated through the SmartSelect turn-and-push control. Neoplan’s model page names the media system MMC (MAN Media Coach) Advanced, controlled through a classic control panel, the multifunction steering wheel, SmartSelect or by voice. MAN’s release of 13 October 2023 describes a new digital cockpit “for all MAN and NEOPLAN buses” in the 2024 model year, with a 12-inch colour display that doubles the display area of its predecessor, and reports that it received the Busworld Digital Award in the category “Digital On-Board Comfort” in Brussels on 11 October 2023.

Passenger area, stairs and accessibility

Neoplan’s model page describes the lower deck with a lounge, an on-board kitchenette for hot drinks and snacks and a WC usable at all times, and the upper deck with a large glass dome at the front, skylights and large ceiling windows. It lists a two-zone air-conditioning system, heating or cooling the two decks independently, as standard equipment, and LED lighting throughout. The brochure adds extra quarter windows behind the doors on the lower deck and a transparent wall closing off the driver’s workplace. It also describes a staircase placed right next to the front entrance, which frees space for two additional seats on the lower deck, with all electrical components behind the driver’s seat. Neoplan’s Skyliner Express page calls this an equipment option, “positioning of the front stairs on the right in the direction of travel”, and says it gives the driver an extra 70 mm of seat adjustment.

For passengers with reduced mobility the brochure describes “a state-of-the-art folding ramp and extra-wide doors” and double seats that can be pushed together to make space for up to two wheelchairs; the German brochure calls the ramp a manual folding ramp, and MAN’s release of 22 September 2025 describes “the low-floor lower deck with space for up to two wheelchairs”. Accessibility requirements for coaches are covered in bus accessibility. Neoplan’s seat brochure of November 2021 marks the PremiumLine EcoPlus seat standard on the Skyliner, and the PremiumLine Business, PremiumLine First, Allido, Boresco, Creolo, Dorado, Erino and Erino Plus seats optional.

MAN’s releases describe particular coaches. The Skyliner on MAN’s stand at Busworld Europe 2019 had the front stairs on the right-hand side and 76 passenger seats, with a kitchenette on the lower deck built by MAN’s Bus Modification Center in Plauen (release of 8 October 2019). MAN’s release of 6 October 2023 announced two Skyliners for the outdoor area of Busworld Europe 2023, held from 7 to 12 October 2023, one of them with “an exclusive bistro concept”. MAN’s release of 27 May 2025 reports nine Skyliners delivered to the Estonian long-distance operator Lux Express for the route between Tallinn and Tartu, with 63 seats, displays at every seat, a galley on the lower level and 2+1 seating on the upper deck.

Exterior

Neoplan’s model page describes the body in its “Sharp Cut-Design” with “sturdy ring spars and roll bars”; what a coach’s superstructure has to withstand in a rollover is covered in bus rollover strength (UN R66). The page lists a three-dimensionally curved windscreen, doors and skylights set flush, lateral indentations and a defined separation edge at the rear as the features of its aerodynamics, and full-LED headlights in a black trim with ring-shaped LED daytime running lights it calls “Angel Eyes”. The brochure names the forward-thrusting window pillars and the split windscreen, and a lacquered band on the front screen that separates the two decks optically. Neoplan’s Hall of Fame lists three awards for the Skyliner: the Red Dot Design Award of 2012, the IBC Award of 2016 and the International busplaner Sustainability Prize of 2017. Neoplan’s history page names the busplaner prize twice: as “IBNP 2016” beside the IBC Award 2016, and again for 2017, the Skyliner’s 50th anniversary year.

Skyliner Express

Neoplan’s Skyliner Express page describes an express-bus version for direct scheduled services between cities, with a 100 km/h certification, “up to 96 passengers” and up to 11 m³ of luggage. Its table gives the same dimensions as the Skyliner coach, the same axles and gearbox, and these differences:

The 2017 brochure’s own text gives “up to 500 hp of power” and “capacity for up to 96 passengers”, and the Skyliner brochure of September 2023 lists “up to 91 (interurbain)” seats. The Express page says the Express design offers “up to ten additional seats”, that up to two wheelchairs are secured on the lower deck with a manual folding ramp, and that the luggage compartment flaps open at an angle of 89 degrees to a height of 2.24 metres.

Auwärter Edition

MAN’s release of 22 September 2025 announced a limited edition of 30 Skyliner “Auwärter Edition” coaches, marking Konrad Auwärter’s 85th birthday and the 90th anniversary of the NEOPLAN brand. The edition made its first appearance in Pilsting, Lower Bavaria, on 24 August 2025 and its trade-fair premiere at Busworld Europe in Brussels in October 2025. The release lists retro-look decals in a “stainless steel plank” design with the stylised Auwärter swing arm, aluminium rims, stainless-steel and wood-look details from the NEOPLAN Individual collection, a large L-shaped kitchen with a storage space reachable from inside and outside, a spacious toilet on the lower deck and an optional driver’s berth at door 2, with the carpentry done by the bus modification experts at MAN’s Ankara plant. Among its systems it names MAN OptiView, Lane Return Assist and MAN SafeStop Assist. Neoplan’s German flyer for the edition, dated 09/2025, names a digital cockpit with SmartSelect and MAN SafeStop Assist.

Earlier Skyliners and dates

Neoplan’s brochure states that “In 1967 NEOPLAN created the double-decker touring class”. MAN’s release of 22 September 2025 traces the range to Konrad Auwärter’s thesis on “Double-decker buses” at the Engineering School for Car Body and Vehicle Construction in Hamburg, says that its touring versions carried the Skyliner name from 1967, and puts deliveries at around 5,550 vehicles in 58 years. Neoplan’s history page records a Skyliner with American components, a Cummins engine, an Allison gearbox and Rockwell axles, in scheduled service in Los Angeles in 1974; a 9-metre Skyliner in Japan and a 14.5-metre Superskyliner at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 1985; a fully glazed 13.7-metre double-decker in Munich in 1999; and a Skyliner L used by the Hamburg Freezers ice hockey team in the 2008/2009 season. No Neoplan or MAN document opened gives the year in which the current Skyliner body was presented or went into production.

Source notes

The figures above are the Neoplan Skyliner double-deck coach as Neoplan’s model pages and its brochure of September 2023 give them. It is 14,000 mm long, 2,550 mm wide and 4,000 mm high including the air-conditioning system, on three axles with wheelbases of 6,700 mm and 1,470 mm, front and rear overhangs of 2,690 mm and 3,140 mm and a turning circle of 23,316 mm. The centre-aisle standing height is 1,680 mm on the upper deck and 1,840 mm on the lower deck; the English model page’s text gives a standing height of 1.80 metres. Luggage volume is up to 11 m³. Seating is up to 83+1+1 in the brochure and the model page’s table, while the model page’s heading gives up to 85 passengers. The MAN D2676 LOH, a six-cylinder of 12,419 cm³, is listed with one rating, 382 kW (520 hp) at 1,800 rpm with 2,650 Nm at 930 to 1,350 rpm, and one gearbox, the 12-speed MAN TipMatic Coach. For the Skyliner Express, Neoplan’s Express page gives 375 kW (510 HP) with 2,600 Nm and up to 91 seats with 5 standing places on the same dimensions; the Express brochure of November 2017 gives 368 kW (460 hp) with 2,500 Nm and up to 95 seats with 5 standing places. Neoplan’s model pages state Euro 6 without a sub-step. No Neoplan or MAN document opened gives a permissible total weight, a kerb weight, an axle load, a tyre size, a tank volume or a door arrangement for the Skyliner.