OREANDA-NEWS. KAMAZ PTC held a solemn meeting to celebrate the production of the 1000th gas-motor vehicle at the new site. The jubilee truck is an all-wheel KAMAZ-43114 truck running on compressed natural gas.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport and Roads of Tatarstan Ayrat Usmanov, Tatarstan Prime Minister's Assistant for Petrochemical Complex Eldar Adeev, the company's managers and employees. "We are witnessing and participating in the milestone transition to the new type of fuel: this is a radical change in the automobile industry, and we all are involved in this interesting and difficult process," noted Director for NGVs at KAMAZ PTC Evgeny Pronin, congratulating his colleagues on the significant event.

Mr. Pronin emphasized that 1,000 vehicles had been produced at the new NGV site for 2.5 years since its opening, and already 5.5 thousand KAMAZ vehicles and buses powered by gas fuel were being operated in Russia in total. According to him, new vehicles have already become serial products rather popular with customers. He also expressed confidence that this figure would rapidly grow, because customers had been satisfied with all advantages of NGVs – their eco-friendliness and fuel-efficiency.

The workers of the site were awarded at the meeting. There was also a tour of the NGV site. The guests could see how gas equipment is kept, assembled, tested and installed in vehicles.

The center of attention was an exposition of KAMAZ gas vehicles. There was an LNG KAMAZ-65115 truck tractor, a gas-diesel KAMAZ-5490 NEO, a CNG KAMAZ-65116 dump truck and other vehicles among the exhibits which testify to wide manufacturing capabilities of the new KAMAZ site. At the end of the event, the 1000th gas-engine KAMAZ rolled off the conveyor triumphantly. The jubilee truck will go to one of the largest corporate clients of the company – PJSC Gazprom.

The site for the NGV production was opened at the automobile plant on April 22, 2015 to implement the state program for promotion of natural gas used as a motor fuel. In all, 204 vehicles running on compressed natural gas had been assembled by the end of the same year. The year 2016 saw 340 gas vehicles manufactured. Nowadays, KAMAZ PTC is Russia's top manufacturer of vehicles and buses running on natural gas. By the end of 2017, about 600 vehicles, including 271 gas-diesel KAMAZ-5490 NEO and LNG trucks, will have been assembled.