OREANDA-NEWS  According to the results of 9 months of 2023, KAMAZ PJSC produced 3 thousand KAMAZ-54901 tractors of the flagship generation K5, the annual production plan of which from the beginning of the year to autumn was reduced from 9 to 6-7 thousand units.

According to the press service of the company, the volume of production of new generation cars for three quarters was 2.5 times higher than last year - in 2022, 1.15 thousand K5 trucks were produced in January–September.

"The production of KAMAZ-54901 flagship tractors continues to gain momentum: if we compare the results only for September, month to month, the output of new vehicles has increased fourfold – from 150 to 600 units," KAMAZ said in a statement.

For comparison, the automaker clarifies that in February 2022 – the last month before the introduction of Western sanctions against the Russian Federation – the company produced 407 KAMAZ-54901 trucks.

At the same time, KAMAZ CEO Sergey Kogogin told reporters in early September that production plans for the flagship K5 model range for this year had been reduced, and instead of the 9 thousand units announced at the beginning of the year, the automaker would make "within 6-7 thousand."

"Our goal is to increase our share in the Russian market only through the development of our new K5 model range. We are not considering any other options. Every year we will double and triple our production volumes. The main volume of investments has been made," the top manager noted.

He stated that this year "the market of mainline tractors has woken up and started to grow sharply." "Of course, in conditions when we cannot supply enough products to the civilian market, Chinese manufacturers began to fill this market. I think this is probably a plus rather than a minus at this stage," Kogogin told reporters in early September.

As of the beginning of September, the head of KAMAZ shared a forecast that, in general, the Russian heavy truck market this year could grow to 140 thousand units – that is, by 1.7 times. Last year, this market, according to Autostat, was at the level of 84.2 thousand trucks (-15.6% by 2021).

"For heavy trucks – the abnormal size of the market. I have been working at KAMAZ for more than 20 years, and there has never been anything like this year. The reasons are generally clear. I emphasize that the size of the civilian market is abnormal even without a state order. Preliminary calculations show that, most likely, by the end of the year, the heavy truck market will reach 140 thousand units," Kogogin said, noting that the construction of roads and housing contribute to this growth.