JSC "Romanov" (part of the Almaz-Antey concern) plans to increase the production of BAZ trucks in St. Petersburg to six vehicles per day by the end of the year. As Dmitry Grechukhin, the company's CEO, told TASS at the COMvex 2026 exhibition, the plant currently consistently produces two trucks a day. The next milestone is three vehicles, and after the launch of the second shift, the pace will double.
The civilian product line is based on the design groundwork of military tractors. The key solution is an independent suspension, which has been transferred to commercial chassis and provides off-road capability unavailable to most competitors.
According to the manufacturer, this places BAZ in the same niche as heavy equipment from the European "Big Seven" (Mercedes, Volvo, Scania, MAN, DAF, Iveco, Renault Trucks), which have left Russia. The entire range of all-wheel drive vehicles and chassis is already included in the Ministry of Industry and Trade's subsidy program, allowing customers to purchase equipment on preferential terms through leasing companies.
In parallel, the plant is preparing a tractor with a crane-manipulator unit (CMU). The machine will be able to self-load a semi-trailer in off-road conditions, which is especially in demand in Siberia and northern regions where the deployment of additional lifting equipment is difficult. A prototype is planned to be presented in the near future.
Thus, the St. Petersburg site, which previously produced Scania and MAN, is transforming into a full-fledged competence center for heavy all-wheel drive chassis, capable of meeting the needs of the construction, oil and gas, and industrial sectors. At the plant's launch ceremony, St. Petersburg Vice-Governor Kirill Polyakov stated that BAZ trucks would be used in the construction of high-speed railways (HSR).
It is expected that BAZ trucks will occupy their niche in the Russian market in the segment of all-wheel drive off-road vehicles, which accounts for about 5-10% of the heavy truck market – about 5-10 thousand units per year. The main competitors will be KamAZ, Ural, and MAZ.