---
title: "UAZ officially recognizes the 'Bukhanka': the legendary nickname becomes the model name"
description: "UAZ has officially registered the name 'Bukhanka' for its legendary off-road vehicle! 🚙🍞 Now the folk nickname, which the car has been called for decades, has become a legal fact. The history of the model, which began in 1958, has received a new official sound. #UAZ #Bukhanka #AutomotiveIndustry"
date: 2026-08-02T15:58:12.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/uaz-officially-recognizes-the-bukhanka
tags: [uaz, buhanka, russia, automotive, rospatent]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# UAZ officially recognizes the 'Bukhanka': the legendary nickname becomes the model name

![UAZ assembly line: white off-road vehicles 'Bukhanka' at the final stage of production](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/02/uaz-ofitsialno-priznal-bukhanku/uaz-ofitsialno-priznal-bukhanku-1.webp)

The Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant (UAZ) has taken a step that enthusiasts of domestic automotive engineering have been waiting for for decades: the legendary nickname 'Bukhanka' has become an official name. Now, vehicles of the SGR ('Old Cargo Row') family bear this name in their documents and on dealer signs. This information has been confirmed on the manufacturer's official website and reported by the TASS agency.

### From a folk nickname to legal status

The process of legalizing the name began back in the spring of 2026. At the end of April, the plant submitted applications to Rospatent to register the trademarks 'UAZ Bukhanka' and the international version 'UAZ Bukhanka'. Now this work is complete, and the nickname that motorists have used for generations has gained legal weight.

Previously, the model had only a factory index, and 'Bukhanka' remained exclusively a colloquial term. Now, the brand has officially established a link between the recognizable body shape and the name that has become a synonym for reliability and off-road capabilities.

### A history that began in 1958

The legend of the 'Bukhanka' dates back to the distant year of 1958. It was then that the first all-wheel-drive high-clearance van, the UAZ-450, rolled off the assembly line of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant. The car was created based on the famous GAZ-69 and immediately attracted attention with its unique body shape.

It was the characteristic silhouette, resembling a sliced loaf of bread, that gave the car its folk name. Over time, this nickname became much more popular than the dry factory index, turning into a cultural code of Soviet and Russian automotive engineering.

### Evolution of the model

The success of the first model spawned an entire family. Based on the UAZ-450, modifications of the UAZ-451 family appeared, and then the modernized all-wheel-drive UAZ-452. It was these cars that laid the foundation for the modern SGR family.

Today, this car has been in production for over six decades. During this time, it has undergone numerous modernizations, but has retained its recognizability and remains one of the brightest models of the Russian automotive industry. The official adoption of the name 'Bukhanka' became a logical conclusion to a long history where the people's love for the car finally received recognition at the state level.