Russia's Leningrad Oblast shows interest in Belarusian MAZ vehicles

Russia's Leningrad Oblast is interested in the passenger vehicles made by the Belarusian automobile manufacturer MAZ, BelTA learned from the MAZ press service.

A delegation led by the head of the Russia's Leningrad Oblast Committee on Transport Mikhail Prisiazhniuk visited MAZ to explore its vehicles and manufacturing facilities. The delegation also included representatives of the regional carrier companies.

“We are about to launch the transport reform. Thus we are studying the passenger vehicles made by various manufacturers. In 2024 the regional vehicle fleet requires up to 1,000 new units. Since our buses clock fairly large daily runs (about 700km per day), electric buses are not an option for us. We are interested in transport powered by compressed gas,” Mikhail Prisiazhniuk said.

Another preference is passenger vehicles with a large number of seats, because there are many roads in Leningrad Oblast where it is prohibited to transport standing passengers.

Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) is one of Belarus' largest mechanical engineering companies. It specializes in making heavy-duty trucks, special-purpose vehicles, buses, trolleybuses, and trailing units. MAZ vehicles are compliant with the environmental standards Euro-3, 4, 5, and 6. The company makes a total of over 500 models and 3,000 modifications of tractor units, dropside trucks, and chassis for mounting various kinds of equipment.