Kauno autobusų gamykla

Kauno autobusų gamykla (Template:Translation), abbreviated KAG, was a factory in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR that produced about 10,000 KAG-3 buses from 1956 to 1990.<ref name=sviklas/> The buses used chassis of the GAZ-51 truck. The factory then added wooden frames covered with metal sheets. It was the only mass-produced vehicle in Lithuania.<ref name=sviklas/>

The factory was established in an old workshop owned by Template:Ill (Lithuanian American Joint Stock Company), abbreviated as Amlit. The company imported Ford cars, Fordson tractors, and bicycles.<ref name=inyte/> Around 1929, it started building passenger buses with wooden frames based on Ford chassis. About 25 buses were produced per year.<ref name=dremaite/> The company was nationalised after Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union. After World War II there was a shortage of vehicles and metal. The auto shop, then known as Kauno autoremonto gamykla, started modifying ZIS-150 trucks into L-1 buses that were first designed and produced in Leningrad in 1949.<ref name=retro/><ref name=skorenko/>

In 1952, the factory started building KAG-1 passenger buses, which were copies of the Russian GZA-651 buses and were built on the GAZ-51 chassis.<ref name=skorenko/> The factory improved the model and developed its own KAG-3 bus, though it retained essentially the same specifications.<ref name=retro/> The buses had a six-cylinder, 68 horsepower, 3.5-litre engines. An empty bus weighted Template:Convert.<ref name=sviklas/> KAG-3 was the most popular model, with up to 350 vehicles produced per year.<ref name=skorenko/>

The wooden frame would rot over time, which is why only a couple buses have survived. Examples are preserved in museums in Kaunas and Vievis, as well as by a classic car club in Kaunas.<ref name=sviklas/> The wooden frame could also easily catch fire in an accident. One of the largest accidents occurred in winter 1966, when a crowded bus drove into a ditch and caught fire on the road from Luokė to Smilgiai. 21 people died in the accident, four others suffered severe burns.<ref name=sviklas/> Due to safety concerns, the buses were phased out from passenger transport and converted into cargo or utility vehicles.<ref name=retro/> However, the KAG buses remained in demand even after metal frame buses (such as PAZ-652) became available. The wooden frame could be replaced (some buses had 3 or 4 frame changes) and performed better on uneven roads (such as roads of the Caucasus).<ref name=retro/>

Models

The factory produces these models:<ref name=sviklas/>

KAG-1 (19 passengers) – very similar to the Russian GZA-651 buses
KAG-3 (23 seated passengers plus 7 standing passengers)
- KAG-31 (KAG-3 based cargo van)
- KAG-32 (KAG-3 based bread van)
- KAG-33 (KAG-3 based technical service van)
- KAG-34 (KAG-3 based explosive materials van)
- KAG-317 (KAG-3 based household service van)
KAG-4 (24 passenger) – two experimental vehicles with all metal frames produced in 1959<ref name=retro/>
- KAG-41 (KAG-4 based cargo van) – one experimental vehicle with all metal frame produced in 1959<ref name=retro/>