DAC (vehicle manufacturer)

DAC, (reverbed from Diesel Auto Camion) is a Romanian commercial vehicle brand produced since 1971 in the Brașov area, at Brasov Truck Factory. The brand origin stands in the initialism for Diesel Auto Camion, but same time DAC brand served as a reminder of the Romania’s history, the historic region of Dacia, once the land of the ancient dacian kingdom.

Under DAC brand, the company manufactured a variety of vehicles, including trucks, special-purpose vehicles, buses, and trolleybuses, along with advanced engines developed in-house.

Brasov Truck Factory (Întreprinderea Autocamioane Brașov) was established after World War II on the foundation of the old ROMLOC automotive factory built in 1921. In the spirit of the communist days, the industrial plant was named Steagul Roșu (The Red Flag). As of 2000, 750,000 trucks had been produced.

DAC trucks share the same construction platforms with the company's other brand - Roman - but it was not part of the 1971 venture between the then-West German company MAN and the Romanian government.

In the early 1980s, the company developed its own diesel engines with outputs of 240, 280, and 320 hp. These engines, marked with the additional letter “R” for “Romanian,” signified a step beyond the original license agreement. They were used in DAC trucks, ranging from models “16.240” to “32.280.”

DAC vehicles are equipped with standardized cabins of in-house production. These cabins are available in three versions: Normal, Medium, and Double Size. The company also manufactures front axles, drive axles, frames, wheels, bodies, and other components.

In 1984, following the expiration of the licensing agreement with MAN, the Roman range was rebranded as DAC. By 1990, the Brasov plant was restructured into the joint-stock company “Roman S.A.” as part of a government decision. However, the plant lost access to major markets and began outfitting older chassis with imported components, primarily diesel engines that complied with newer environmental standards. Despite these challenges, DAC trucks continued production for several years after 1990, including a special version designed with updated features for a local fuel company.

The CN series was an in house development of Autocamioane Brașov available since 1977. The CN is available with 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 wheel configurations and 3 to 10 ton cargo capacity. The CN Series feature a rectangular shaped all-metal cab with horizontally grooved doors and side panels, flat front end and a sloping hinged windshield. Vehicles are equipped with license built MAN D2156 6-cylinder diesel engines and a 5- or 6 -speed transmission, 2-speed transfer case, wheel planetary gear drives, wheels with lockable differentials, dual airbrakes, power steering and a 24-volt electrical devices.^[1]

In the Romanian Army, the DAC 665T has been and continues to be used as a transport vehicle, an artillery tractor, and a chassis for mounting specialized superstructures. In addition to the DAC 665T (6x6) truck, the factory also produced a “shortened” version, the DAC 444T (4x4), with an off-road payload capacity of 2.5 tons.

One of the most long living trucks produced under the DAC brand is 665 series, still in use in Romanian, Georgian and Croatian armies.

The DAC 665 is a family of military trucks designed for traction and transport, manufactured by the Autocamioane Brașov Plant in the 1980s. It was produced in multiple versions and exported to Hungary, Egypt, Iraq, and Cuba.

The DAC 665 T variant was intended for towing artillery pieces and transporting troops and materials. The DAC 665 G variant was used to transport pontoons from the bridge parks of the Romanian Army. Both versions featured full 6×6 all-wheel drive. The chassis of these trucks served as the foundation for several specialized vehicles.

The DAC 665 T model impressed with the technical features of its traction system. Built with three axles, two of which were rear axles, the vehicle, nicknamed “the little tank,” had full all-wheel drive (eight powered wheels).

Equipped with an AK 6-80 gearbox with a reducer, the DAC 665 T is considered one of the most successful products of the Brașov plant from its inception to the present day.

The DAC 120 DE was a high-capacity mining truck designed by the ICPAT Institute in Brașov and produced between 1988 and 1990.

It had diesel-electric propulsion: a 65-liter diesel engine powered two electric motors mounted on the rear axle, each with 520 hp.

Specifications:

• Weight: 90Ton
• Load capacity: 120Ton
• Dimensions: 10m long, 5.4m high
• Wheels with a diameter of 3.2m
• Maximum speed: 55 km/h loaded, 70 km/h empty
• Range: up to one week of work (2 × 1600 L tanks)
• Approximately 20 units were produced. Five were exported to Australia, the rest were used in Romania at Roșia Poieni, Mahmudia, and in the construction of the Danube–Black Sea Canal.

After nearly two decades of inactivity, the DAC brand was relaunched in 2025 by Autovehicule DAC S.A., under the leadership of entrepreneur Sergiu Bolocan, in the form of electric vehicles.

The initial portfolio includes ten models divided into three segments:

1. Passenger transport: buses, electric minibuses, and trolleybuses with autonomy for urban and school transport.
2. Mining vehicles: high-capacity electric dump trucks and port tractors.
3. Urban and sanitation vehicles: 7.5 and 18-ton electric trucks.

Autovehicule DAC S.A. has a production hall within the ROMAN platform in Brașov. CKD kits will be assembled at this location: the cab will come assembled, and the rest of the components—the chassis, axles, springs, and power electronics—will be delivered separately. Initially, electric trucks intended for urban traffic are assembled on a bench, and as sales scale up, production will move to an assembly line.

DAC electric vehicles use LFP batteries and simple asynchronous motors with air and liquid cooling for long-term reliability and low maintenance costs. The 18-ton urban trucks have a symmetrical rear drive axle with two independent motors, one on each wheel.

The brand has been reinterpreted as "Drive Auto Clean," retaining its historic initials and connection to Romanian tradition. The relaunch combines historical values—robustness, simplicity, durability—with modern electric mobility technologies.

Autovehicule DAC S.A. aims to sell over 30,000 electric vehicles by 2035, surpassing the 1987 record set by the Autocamioane Brașov factory. The priority is the urban and public transport segment, but the company is also targeting industrial and mining vehicles, where electrification reduces operating costs and environmental impact.

The company has a network of national service centers and plans to expand into new regions, providing maintenance for all DAC models.

• DAC 120 DE - diesel-electric 120T mining dump truck
• DAC 6135 - light duty truck
• DAC 665 - military off-road truck

• DAC 6135 (SR-DAC) based on SR-113 Bucegi
• DAC 6 Turbo truck, Bucharest-Otopeni Airport, 1989
• APRA-40, a Romanian variant of the BM-21 Grad.
• The 83rd LAROM Battalion on DAC trucks
• A Rocar bodied DAC trolley bus
• DAC 117UD articulated city bus
• DAC-Chavdar 117 ET trolleybus in Bulgaria
• DAC 6135 transformed into railcar
• DAC-444T truck during exercise Combined Resolve V
• DAC 217E trolleybus in Kiev, Ukraine
• New DAC Aerobus 14.100 production
• DAC 485ULFE low floor city bus

• Roman (vehicle manufacturer)
• Rocar DAC

• Official website
• DAC information at Truck Planet
• Scroll thru pages for DAC info (in Romanian)