In a move that highlights Russia’s push to strengthen domestic propulsion capabilities, a new electromechanical transmission developed for hybrids and electric vehicles emerged from the country’s automotive innovation programs. The announcement came through the ministry’s press channels during a visit by Denis Manturov, the deputy prime minister and industry minister, to the Central Research Automotive and Automotive Institute NAMI. The visit underscored the nation’s progress in drive-system technology and reinforced the message that Russia is aiming to play a more assertive role in shaping the next generation of mobility. Officials described the event as a milestone in a broader effort to expand homegrown engineering capacity and reduce reliance on imported powertrain components.
During the briefing, Manturov was shown a Russian electromechanical transmission crafted at NAMI. The unit targets hybrid and electric vehicles and is positioned as competitive with many international counterparts in performance. While specific technical data and the precise vehicle applications were not disclosed at the time, the presentation stressed the ability to manufacture capable, locally developed propulsion systems that could lessen dependence on foreign suppliers and strengthen strategic autonomy within the automotive sector.
The briefing noted that comprehensive technical data about the new transmission and the list of vehicles it would power were not released publicly during the event. This selective sharing aligns with standard industry practice for new and potentially strategic technologies, where early information is tightly controlled while engineers continue refinement and validation. The approach balances transparency with safeguarding competitive advantages in the early stages of development.
Alongside the electromechanical system, Manturov encountered an updated prototype of the NAMI Hydrogen car, illustrating ongoing experiments with clean energy propulsion and the integration of hydrogen powertrains within Russia’s broader transport innovation agenda. The exhibit highlighted continued work on hydrogen fuel cell technology and its role in expanding the country’s low-emission mobility options while integrating such systems into both current and future vehicle architectures.
In a related development, Manturov announced the extension of the parallel import mechanism to 2024, emphasizing that industry experts continually work to align manufacturers with evolving market needs and to broaden the range of locally available products. The overarching objective remains to sustain healthy competition, strengthen supply chain resilience, and boost consumer choice amid shifts in global trade dynamics, ensuring accessible options for Russian buyers and the broader domestic market.
From a high-level perspective, Russia’s leadership emphasized localization in road transport reaching around seventy percent, reflecting sustained domestic manufacturing scale and close supplier integration across the vehicle ecosystem. This focus on localization signals a strategic shift toward greater self-sufficiency in critical automotive components and systems, reinforcing a long-term commitment to domestic production capacity and resilient supply chains within the country’s automotive industry. Moreover, industry communications highlighted progress in local models and the broader trend toward higher localization across popular lines as part of strengthening the national manufacturing base and enabling more robust domestic innovation ecosystems.