Industrial heritage

The history of the DAC brand

The DAC brand is part of Romania's industrial tradition in commercial vehicles, with roots reaching back to the first half of the 20th century and accelerating during the post-World War II industrialization period.

1921

ROMLOC

Brașov industrial base

1970s

DAC brand

Diesel Auto Camion

1984

Independence

Post-MAN license

1990s

Transition

Industrial restructuring

2020s

Electric relaunch

Autovehicule DAC S.A.

Brașov, industrial tradition

Industrial origins

The Brașov truck industry was built on the foundation of the former ROMLOC (1921) factory, later reorganized into the "Steagul Roșu" plant, which would become Întreprinderea de Autocamioane Brașov.

This is the context in which truck production began in Romania. Subsequent development was supported by the integration of international technologies and licenses, most notably the partnership with MAN, which underpinned the modernization of the Brașov commercial vehicle range.

The DAC brand emerges

The DAC (Diesel Auto Camion) brand emerged in the 1970s as the expression of an in-house range of commercial vehicles.

After the MAN license expired in 1984, truck production continued under the DAC brand, which became a benchmark for the Romanian automotive industry and a marker of local technological capability.

Under this brand, the company produced trucks, buses, special vehicles, and equipment for industrial applications, used in transport, construction, heavy industry, and other fields that demanded reliability in service.

Growth and recognition

In the 1980s, DAC became a recognized brand both in Romania and on export markets, with vehicles valued for their ruggedness, design simplicity, and ability to operate in demanding conditions.

The DAC range included benchmark models for heavy transport and industrial applications, such as the DAC 665 series or the high-capacity dump trucks used in aggregate and mining operations.

During the same period, the Romanian industry developed some of the largest quarry vehicles, such as the DAC 120 DE, confirming the technical capabilities of the platforms engineered at Brașov.

From the archive

Visual records

Three frames capturing the DAC brand in its industrial era: vehicles in service, exhibition presence, and the production scale at Brașov.

Romania · 1971 → today

Over 50 years of industrial tradition, reinterpreted for a new chapter of commercial transport.

See the current range

The transition period

After 1990, economic shifts and the loss of traditional markets hit Romania's truck industry hard.

Production under the DAC brand continued for a period but gradually declined amid industry restructuring and international competition. In the 2000s, the brand was withdrawn from current production, while remaining present in service and in the industry's professional memory.

Relaunch, the 2020s

Relaunching the brand

In the 2020s, the DAC brand was acquired and relaunched by Autovehicule DAC S.A., with a clear strategic direction: developing electric commercial vehicles for real-world applications.

The relaunch is not a symbolic return but a repositioning of the brand within the current industry context, where electrification has become an essential economic and operational factor.

The new generation of DAC vehicles preserves the historical values of the brand, ruggedness, simplicity, and reliability, and integrates them into a modern technological architecture, adapted to today's requirements for efficiency, sustainability, and performance in service.

DAC today

Today, DAC is developing a complete range of electric commercial vehicles, trucks, special vehicles, and buses, designed for intensive operation and optimized operating costs.

Production and assembly take place in Romania, at Brașov, in an industrial model that combines local development with international partnerships and integration into the European production chain.

In doing so, DAC continues an industrial tradition more than 50 years old, reinterpreted for a new chapter of commercial transport: electrification oriented toward economic performance.

Years of tradition

Current models