Automoviles Utilitarios SA (AUSA) has launched an aggressive market share assault on eastern Europe, and plans to expand its Russian distributor network.

AUSA eastern Europe regional sales manager Alvaro Noguera said the company's promotional efforts in Russia had attracted the interest of several potential distributors.

Currently AUSA has a distributor in Moscow, but plans to add distributors in St Petersburg, the Urals, Siberia and Vladivostok in coming months.

Mr Noguera said the Russian market had a high demand for rough terrain, four-wheel-drive forklifts, and had shown interest in European, rather than Russian and Ukrainian technology. Dumpers would gain popularity in the farming sector.

The size of Russia's construction industry created potential for AUSA's penetration in the region. "Our job now is to demonstrate the performance of our forklifts over conventional electric forklifts," Mr Noguera said.