The luxury limousine for Vladimir Putin will be built at the former Toyota plant

The Orus Senate is a modernized version of the Soviet-era ZIL limousine and is considered one of the safest motor vehicles anywhere in the world. Orus Motors started manufacturing its vehicles in Tatarstan region from March 2021. But the Senate will be manufactured at a plant near the city of St. Petersburg. The facility was handed over by Toyota to state-owned NAMI, which also has a majority stake in Aurus.

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Local Russian automotive brands are looking to fill the void left by the exit of several global car and bike brands following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Auras, however, is not in the volume game and its vehicles are bought by the country’s uber-rich. According to local data, the company sold only 40 units in the whole of 2023. But the Aurus is a flagship of the Senate limousine and one for Putin will be custom-fitted with safety and security features.

The Aurus Senate made its debut in 2018 and borrows many cues from the Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury saloon. It has massive road presence and measures 5,631 mm in length while weighing 2,700 kg. The customized version for Putin is a stretched avatar and has a length of 6,700 mm. It has special armor plates reinforced glass, bomb-resistant underfloor protection, run-flat rubber tires, as well as integrated “offensive” weapons and a self-contained oxygen supply. The cabin is fit for royalty and offers plush seats, dual instrument pods. A large infotainment system slotted into the center console, with a large TFT display in the center, a rear screen and adjustable rear seats.

The Auras Sennet offers its power from a 6.6-litre V12 engine at around 850 bhp. For obvious reasons, however, many of the more critical details about the vehicle remain a closely guarded secret for the Russian president due to the sensitive nature of his duties.

Date of first publication: 10 May 2024, 09:25 AM IST