The Italian company "Astra" was founded in 1946, when an urgent need arose in the automotive market for inexpensive and reliable trucks that could be operated in a variety of areas. The Italian company received a beautiful name consonant with the name of the flower from Anonima Sarda Transporti (ASTra for short). This was the name of the company of Mario Bertutsia, which he created back in 1946. The main activity of the company was the reconstruction and conversion of trucks used by the military into civilian vehicles, as well as the repair of tanks and other military equipment. However, in 1955, having perfectly mastered and studied all the design options of other manufacturers, a model of the BM-1 all-wheel drive two-axle truck was released.

Initially, the company's cars were produced without driver's cabins. Besides the fact that they cost much less, the hot Italian climate was very conducive to this design. On the other hand, powerful diesel engines Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Detroit Diesel, installed on strong chassis for dump trucks and tractors, made the company's products reliable and instantly aroused the trust of potential buyers.

The company was already well-known as a small-scale manufacturer of very strong chassis for special equipment such as concrete trucks, heavy trucks, dump trucks for construction, mining and road repairs. They began to produce equipment with cabins. And so that the cost of transport with a cab does not increase significantly, high-quality and inexpensive fiberglass was used for the production of cabins. Due to the fact that their design was done by the ItalDesign studio under the guidance of the genius Giorgetto Giugiaro, the cabins were comfortable and met all world standards.

By 1982, many trucks were introduced and sold across Europe. At the same time, a contract was signed with the Italian army, which purchased the entire modernized model from a number of the company, providing the Astra with the opportunity to test its cars in the field for free. In 1983, the company's assortment consisted of 50 models of various modifications.

Three years later, Astra was completely bought out by Iveco, which concentrated all the company's developments to create 50-ton trucks. After just a year and a half, these models occupied the entire truck segment, which were even exported to the United States of America. In addition, a racing team has been created under the Astra brand that has raced in semitrailer trucks around the world for 20 years.

At present, the following Astra models are presented on the market. Tractors, which have 15 modifications and can be equipped for any task, including the transportation of military equipment. Mining dump trucks used for work in extreme conditions. They have proven themselves in the coal mining industry thanks to their soft suspension and dynamic engines. In addition, buyers can choose from three-axle four-wheel drive tractors, which are used by large companies to transport goods throughout Eurasia.

The company's products appeared in Russia in 2015. Today, Astra trucks and construction equipment can be seen in Nefteyugansk, near Irkutsk (timber transportation), on the Chita-Khabarovsk highway (road construction). Astra equipment is especially in demand in the Far East and Siberia. "Indestructible" trucks, such as the Astra HD8 66.45 all-wheel drive truck tractor, have proven themselves excellently in difficult terrain and in difficult weather conditions.

In 2013, the company "Astra" switched to the use of "Cursor" engines, which meet all the EURO-5 standards, while maintaining their high torque and high torque.