Steering Without Mechanical Linkages: How Russia’s Auto Industry Is Changing
Russia’s auto industry is moving toward an architecture in which the steering wheel and wheels are connected by electronics rather than metal. At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Moskvich Automobile Plant, JSC KAMA, developer of the Atom EV, and Chinese engineering company Hangzhou Shibao signed a memorandum to jointly develop and integrate steer-by-wire (SbW) technology.
Steer-by-wire is a steering system with no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels. Turning the wheel is converted into electronic signals, which are processed by a control unit and sent to actuators that turn the wheels.
The companies have formed a joint working group to carry out the project. Their roles are divided as follows: Hangzhou Shibao will supply the system and handle its technical adaptation, Moskvich will provide technical specifications and engineering documentation, and KAMA will contribute expertise in calibration and certification.
Software-controlled steering makes it possible to adjust vehicle characteristics for different driving conditions, including city driving, highway travel and parking. It can also integrate the steering system with advanced driver-assistance features and provide an architecture for future autonomous vehicles. The result could be vehicles that offer drivers greater comfort and safety.
From Adaptation to In-House Expertise
In modern EVs, digital architecture is becoming the foundation of the vehicle as a whole. Vehicle functions are controlled by electronic systems, making traditional mechanical steering a limiting factor within this architecture. For Moskvich and Atom, SbW could provide a foundation for developing automated-driving systems: a computer needs direct electronic access to directional control to support higher levels of vehicle autonomy.
Within Russia, the project is particularly important for building up engineering expertise. The technology has export potential, but that opportunity is more likely to emerge over the longer term. Russian manufacturers could use the expertise they gain to develop EVs for markets in the Eurasian Economic Union, Asia and the Middle East, where there is interest in affordable electric vehicles and digital technologies.
From KAMA-1 to Atom
The development of SbW is part of the broader effort to create Russia’s Atom EV. Since 2021, KAMA has been developing its own platform, with a significant share of its functions built around digital control systems. Its conceptual predecessor was the KAMA-1 EV, developed by the Center for Computer Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University with support from KAMAZ under a federal targeted program.
By 2024, the team, working with specialists from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, had completed a series of dynamic tests of functional prototypes. By the end of 2025, it had assembled 26 pre-production verification vehicles in the VC series. In November 2025, the first EV from the Plant Trial batch was assembled at the Moskvich plant, marking the stage before full-scale production.
In parallel, Russia is developing autonomous-vehicle projects that require similar digital infrastructure. The Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute, known as NAMI, has tested autonomous vehicles capable of driving on city streets, changing lanes and recognizing road conditions. KAMAZ is developing autonomous freight-hauling projects using computer vision and navigation systems.
Building an In-House Digital Automotive Capability
The agreement between Moskvich, KAMA and Hangzhou Shibao signals a shift in Russia’s auto industry toward a digital development model. Steer-by-wire is more than a new type of steering mechanism. It is also one element of a future vehicle architecture in which software and electronic control systems play a central role.
In the short term, the technology will be used as a component in new EV models and vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems. Over time, the partnership could help Russian companies build expertise in automotive electronics and intelligent transportation systems. More broadly, the Steer-by-wire project can be viewed as one step toward building a Russian school of digital automotive engineering.
