MAZ presents new vehicles at Comtrans 2013 expo in Moscow

MOSCOW, 10 September (BelTA) – Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ trademark) has presented its new products at the Comtrans 2013 international expo in Moscow, BelTA has learnt. This major automobile forum is taking place in the Russian capital on 10-14 September.

While presenting the exhibits Deputy Commercial Director of MAZ Sergei Zakharevich noted that the factory is working hard to expand the model line-up and is heavily investing in the production upgrade. Over the past year the company injected some $35 million into the production development.

According to Sergei Zakharevich, over the seven months this year the factory sold 13,000 vehicles, of which 80% were sold abroad. He emphasized that Russia remains a strategic market for MAZ and accounts for 50% of the company’s export sales. However, other markets come to play a bigger role in the export strategy of the company. Sergei Zakharevich informed that the factory managed to penetrate the markets of India, South Africa and other countries after launching the production of right-hand drive vehicles.

The highlight of the presentation was MAZ-203965 bus running on methane. This vehicle is a modification of a low-floor city bus MAZ-203, a popular model in Belarus, Russia and other countries. The prototype model presented at the expo marked the beginning of the development and production of vehicles running on natural gas.

Another exhibit that aroused sincere interest in the visitors was MAZ-6501В5-481-000 dump truck hailed as a novel and cost-effective solution for the construction industry. In the first quarter of 2013 MAZ shipped the first batches of these vehicles to Russian companies. Customer feedback was extremely positive.

Apart from that, the company showcased MAZ-SPORTauto MAZ-5309RR, the vehicle of the Minsk Automobile Plant sports team, and the technical support vehicle MAZ-6302В5. These vehicles took part in the international competitions Silk Way 2013 where two Belarusian crews clinched third and sixth places.

At Comtrans 2013 MAZ displayed its latest developments, ten trucks and buses.

Comtrans is the biggest expo of commercial vehicles in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe.

Taking part in the expo are leading automobile producers from Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, the United States, Korea, the Netherlands, China and many more countries. The expo is included in the official calendar of the international organization of automobile producers. It is held every other year and is the major event for all the leading international automobile producers.