Barbaros Oktay to lead board of Europe's bus and coach manufacturers

Brussels, 06 May 2026 - The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) has appointed Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, as Chairperson of its bus and coach division.

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus and incoming Chair: "The city bus is the most decarbonised segment across the entire European automotive industry. At the same time, the daily lives of millions of Europeans would be hard to imagine without buses. That is why it is particularly important for legislators, when introducing new regulations, to bear in mind that anyone who wants socially sustainable mobility in cities and regions from Portugal to Poland, from Sweden to Sicily, must not weaken the competitiveness of European bus manufacturers. We need stronger political backing for competitiveness and innovative strength."

Call for targeted expansion of charging infrastructure

Despite positive market developments, infrastructure remains a key challenge. While electrification in the city bus segment is already well advanced, there is still a significant gap - particularly in charging infrastructure for long-distance coaches. The bus sector is therefore calling for targeted policy support to deploy a Europe-wide, high-performance charging network for coaches, especially at transport hubs, long-distance bus terminals, tourist hotspots, and along major intercity routes.

"Without a comprehensive and high-performance charging infrastructure for coaches, the full potential of electromobility in long-distance transport cannot be realised," Oktay emphasises. "The policy choices made in the coming years will be decisive in determining how quickly and successfully this transition unfolds."

Mr Oktay was elected by members of ACEA's bus and coach division, which brings together Europe's five main bus and coach manufacturers: Daimler Truck, Iveco Group, MAN, Scania, and Volvo Group. Mr Oktay has taken over the function from Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses.

Notes for editors

About Barbaros Oktay

• Barbaros Oktay began his career at MAN Truck & Bus in 2004 at MAN Türkiye A.Ş. at the production site in Ankara.
• He has held various management positions in the bus division within the Group, including Senior Vice President roles as Head of Bus Solutions at TRATON and Head of Bus Engineering, Product & Project Management at MAN Truck & Bus SE.
• Since 2023, he has been heading MAN's global bus business as Head of Bus.

About ACEA

• The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) represents the 17 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, TRATON GROUP, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
• Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on https://www.x.com/ACEA_auto or https://www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/

Contact:

• Camille Lamarque, Media Relations Manager, [email protected], +32 2 738 73 16

About the EU automobile industry

• 13.6 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
• 8.1% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
• €414.7 billion in tax revenue for European governments
• €93.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
• Over 8% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
• €84.6 billion in R&D spending annually, 34% of EU total