OREANDA-NEWS. With the participation of Tatarstan's President Rustam Minnikhanov, five M1842 (KAMAZ-5490) trucks have been transferred into the ownership of their purchaser at the show ground of KAMAZ's Research and Development Center (R&D Centre) today.

First, all participants visited the exhibition of KAMAZ vehicles, trucks from the new model range, as well as KAMAZ designers' advanced developments, including a gas-engine KAMAZ-65206 (6x6) hybrid truck, a diesel-engine KAMAZ-65206 (6x6) hybrid truck, a KAMAZ-65207 (6x4) chassis, a KAMAZ-7360 (10x10) crane chassis. Andrey Savinkov, Chief Designer of Automobile Units and Special Equipment of the R&D Centre, presented new KAMAZ developments - an electric bus and an electric vehicle - to Tatarstan's President.

After the presentation, Rustam Minnikhanov who had arrived at KAMAZ accompanied by Nail Magdeev, Acting Head of the Executive Committee of the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, expressed a wish to sit behind the wheel of the KAMAZ-65206 diesel-electric hybrid vehicle. According to him, the company's latest developments deserve no end of praise, and their entry into the new model range will allow KAMAZ to remain the largest player in the domestic truck market. The president's impromptu test drive of the KAMAZ hybrid truck evoked the most positive emotions, "This is a unique vehicle which has no analogues. Sitting in it you feel like you are in a car: traction, softness, and handling are adequate. Its main advantages are, firstly, environmental friendliness, secondly, fuel economy and, thirdly, this car is very comfortable for the driver." Mr. Minnihanov also spoke about prospects of the auto giant. According to him, KAMAZ is a company with world-class developments, and soon we will hear about them.

Then the handover ceremony started. Five new long-haul tractors were purchased by CC NP NCH KBK named after S.P. Titov (KBK). Vladimir Bestolkov, General Director of KBK, received the keys to the KAMAZ trucks from the hands of Sergey Kogogin, General Director of KAMAZ. The vehicles were sold under KAMAZ's scrappage program at a significant discount. Acting as the seller in the transaction KAMAZ's dealer - Naberezhnochelninsky avtotsentr KAMAZ - gave the buyer the discount of 350 thousand rubles for each truck.

The KAMAZ M1842 long-haul truck tractor which was included in the Scrappage program at the request of customers is the first truck of the company's new model range which has already been highly appreciated by experts and users. It has recently won the Best Commercial Vehicle of the Year in Russia annual contest in the Truck of the Year nomination. The best international technologies applied by developing M1842 helped to create a fundamentally new vehicle in terms of comfort and safety equipped with all modern devices.