Munich car design community, Pistons & Pretzels is on its way. With a little more horsepower than usual.
UK, Italy, Sweden, US… over the last decade, we’ve taken Pistons & Pretzels to plenty of memorable places. But we just can’t help it: Munich will always be our favourite.
It’s where we first laid our roots, and this autumn, we’ll finally be back.
Save the date: September 13, 11 AM to 4 PM.
A good time, a whole lot of cars, a main partner rolling in the big guns, and a bunch of friends coming together for some easy chats and honest laughs.
We can’t wait to see you there!
In the meantime? Let’s take it back to last year’s Pistons & Pretzels Munich.
MAN Truck Forum Tour
As part of the event, you can discover the fascinating world of MAN during an exclusive tour of the MAN Truck Forum – the flagship showcase of MAN Truck & Bus SE. Experience state-of-the-art commercial vehicles, impressive exhibits, and a carefully selected collection of historic MAN classics. Explore the Future Mobility exhibition and gain unique insights into the Customer Center, including the vehicle handover hall where new trucks and buses begin their journey with customers. Join us for an engaging tour that brings together innovation, technology, heritage, and the future of transportation.
The tour is free of charge for all event guests. Spaces are limited to two tours with a maximum of 20 participants each. You can reserve your spot during the ticket purchase process.
Only 1 slot left!
NOVUS One Lightbike Test Rides
Experience the founder & design story behind the NOVUS One and the lightness, agility and simplicity of the Lightbike on a guided test ride.
The NOVUS founding team will take you for a guided ride, showing you the unique feeling of the Lightbike’s lightweight architecture and full-carbon body, as well as the three riding modes that unlock 1/3, 2/3 or the full performance of 430 Nm and 130 km/h at just 121 kg.
Starting from 12 PM, 12 individual 20-minute slots are available. The test rides are a free add-on for all ticket holders. Registration upfront is required.
Sign up for your test rideOver the years, our guests rolled up to Pistons & Pretzels with countless unique machines. Lines of Legends gives them the spotlight they deserve.
Here’s where your ride can shine:
Get your ticket, name the car you’ll bring, and choose the category you want to showcase it in.
And if you’re lucky, take home the crown (and the prize)!
MAN Truck & Bus SE, a company of the TRATON GROUP, is one of Europe’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers and providers of transport solutions. The product portfolio includes trucks and buses with diesel and zero-emission powertrains, vans, diesel and gas engines, as well as services relating to passenger and freight transport.
Up for exploration:
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NOVUS is redefining the design of urban mobility. Founded in 2019 by René Renger, formerly an Interior Designer for the VW Golf 8 and ID. Buzz.
Urban transport is at its limits. To convince non-riders of urban two-wheeled mobility, NOVUS is redefining urban lightweight mobility by combining the advantages of e-bikes, scooters and motorbikes in an iconic Lightbike design.
Design, development and final assembly take place in Germany, with components from Europe.
The NOVUS One Lightbike combines lightness, agility and simplicity with the performance of motorbikes: a monocoque architecture with no visible frame in full carbon, weighing 121 kg, with 430 Nm peak power and a top speed of 130 km/h.
Pforzheim University with its three schools – the School of Design, the School of Engineering and the Business School – enjoys a first-class reputation. The schools combine creativity with business education and technical precision. This combination also makes the university an attractive science and research partner for the regional and national economy. With around 5 500 students, Pforzheim University – founded in 1877 – is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
The qualifications and practical experience of the teaching staff on the one hand and intensive cooperation with successful companies on the other lay the foundation for the university’s outstanding position in the rankings. Pforzheim University offers 34 bachelor’s and 24 master’s degree programs in the schools of Design, Engineering, and Business and Law. It enjoys a high level of acceptance in research and teaching, which also results from the good supervision ratio. Around 280 professors and lecturers ensure that students feel they are in good hands in Pforzheim right from the start.
The close connection between theory and practice develops positive synergy effects that result in numerous projects and research approaches for industry and business. The Institute for Applied Research, numerous Steinbeis Transfer Centers or the Jewelry Technology Institute are just a few successful examples of this.
The university cooperates with more than 100 partner universities worldwide, is involved in international networks and attaches great importance to business and corporate ethics. The university was one of the first in the world to commit to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiated by the UN.
BMW MUC is designed by graduate Georg Wabnegger to be a car sharing model exclusively for the purpose of sharing in and around the city of Munich. Although being an electric sharing car, it is still a proper BMW. The German claim “Freude am Fahren” (sheer driving pleasure), that has been used since 1972, is at its core. The repositioning of the batteries between driver and codriver as well as the double kidney lead to sporty proportions followed by a go-kart like driving experience.
MAN LINQ by Florian Pitscheider explores the future of long-haul trucking by combining SAE Level 4 autonomy with teleoperation. The concept addresses the driver shortage while improving working and living conditions. Drivers can spend more time at home with their families, have better access to healthy food and rest, and avoid long periods in confined truck cabins. For employers, teleoperation and autonomy enable more efficient vehicle utilisation, reduce downtime caused by driving-time regulations, and help make long-haul transport more reliable.
The Bavarian One by Paul Emanuel Eisenhard presents a concept car that condenses brand, region, and vision of the future into one vehicle. The name refers to “Bavaria One,” Bavaria’s 2018 space program on its path to becoming Europe’s Space Valley, framing regional origin as a strength. At the same time, it bridges to BMW’s own history in aircraft engine manufacturing – a brand that, quite literally, “comes from the sky.” The starting point is a simple question: What can only BMW do? The answer: a vehicle as a promise to region, history, and future.
UE | STUDIOS, based in Gaimersheim and Munich, is a globally recognised design and engineering services company with eight locations. Since its foundation in 1991, UE | STUDIOS has established itself as a leading partner for national and international clients. The interdisciplinary team of 200 employees realises projects from the initial idea and concept to functional prototypes from vehicle and mobility solutions to aviation applications to complex exhibitions and museum installations.
A particular focus of UE | STUDIOS is the holistic development of vehicle concepts, in which design, engineering, prototyping and manufacturing work closely together. Thanks to its combination of design expertise, in-depth technical understanding and its own manufacturing infrastructure, UE | STUDIOS is able to efficiently implement complex innovation projects.
SUE is a purpose built people mover developed exclusively for autonomous public transport. With a design identity defined through the bold exterior concept “The Side is the New Front” merged with a sophisticated new interior layout with innovative and sustainable materials, this ground up approach has enabled a completely new architecture and a layout never before seen in the industry..
Nowhere else can the flair and spirit of MAN be felt as keenly as at the MAN Truck Forum.
Together with the MAN Bus Forum right next to it, it combines the customer centre, the brand experience and the MAN Business Competence Centre (BCC), creating an emotional and authentic picture of the brand that is sure to inspire you.
Parking
Guests arriving by car without showcasing it at the event as part of the guest lineup can park right around the corner of the location and for free at the MAN Forum parking garage.
We are looking forward to welcoming the Automotive Design community to the MAN Truck Forum! To attend the event, you’ll need a ticket. There are two options:
Entry Ticket
This ticket helps cover the basic costs of hosting the event and includes access for one adult. Children up to the age of 14 receive free entry. Food and drinks will be available for purchase onsite.
Entry + Food & Drinks Ticket
This ticket includes lunch and two drinks for adults, or lunch and one drink for children up to the age of 14. Purchasing this ticket offers a discounted price compared to buying food and drinks separately onsite.
To help us continue hosting Pistons & Pretzels and maintain the quality of the experience, we’ve introduced a small ticket fee this year. We’ve worked hard to keep the price as low as possible and look forward to welcoming you for another fantastic day of cars, people, and great conversations.
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