Russia Ready To Export Aurus Senate Luxury Sedan: Promoted By Vladimir Putin, Supported By UAE Investors

Aurus Senat luxury sedan made in Russia. (Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Migl)

JAKARTA - Russia launched the Aurus Senat luxury sedan production program at the Ford Solers Factory, Elabuga, Tatarstan, which President Vladimir Putin attended online on Monday, May 31.

Reported by Reuters from the Vedomosti newspaper, Minister of Industry Denis Manturov said his party was targeting the production of 200-300 units of the Aurus Senat this year.

The Senate Aurus is a prestige project for the Kremlin, amid efforts to reduce dependence on the West after Russia was sanctioned in 2014.

Introduced to the public in 2013, President Vladimir Putin 'promoted' this car by driving it during the inauguration process in 2018.

The Senate Aurus worn by President Putin and other state officials is a custom-built L700 model. Meanwhile, the S600 Senate is offered to the general public, as reported by CarScoops.

The luxury car will be powered by a 4.4-liter V8 twin-turbo hybrid engine developed in collaboration with Porsche, producing 590 HP and 649 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque, paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel-drive features. .

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said the majority of the production of this luxury sedan will be exported to international markets, especially the Middle East. Delivery is targeted to start this June.

Overall, the Aurus Senate is Russia's first luxury car built from scratch by the Research Institute of the Russian Federation NAMI, whose shares are owned by NAMI (63.5%), United Arab Emirates (UAE) investors Tawazun (36%) and Sollers (0 .5%), as reported by TASS.

"Most of the manufactured Aurus cars are planned for sale in the international market, in Middle Eastern countries in the first instance. In the long term, the Chinese and Western European markets are also planned," the Kremlin press service said.