Presidential ride: Putin’s limo maker Aurus to take customer pre-orders

Dealers of Russia’s new Aurus cars will start taking pre-orders for its limo and sedan vehicles from February 15, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced.

Russian car dealers Avilion and Panavto, which are the official trade partners of the Aurus automobile line, initially developed for the presidential pool, will start taking pre-orders for the vehicles. Customers will be able to book the new Russian Aurus Senat Limousine L700, the same car owned by President Vladimir Putin, and its sedan version Aurus Senat S600.

An interior view of the Aurus Senat © Reuters / Maxim Shemetov

“Interested clients will have an opportunity to directly contact official partners of the brand,” the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said on Monday. At the same time, the automaker continues taking customers’ pre-orders for the new cars, the ministry added in a statement.

The first luxury cars are to be sold in Russia and then are set to go on the global market, Aurus CEO Franz Hilgert announced last year. The vehicles are to be exported to six regions across the globe. Hilget earlier told TASS that Europe was seen as the first export market for the new cars and first foreign pre-orders were received.

The company wants to produce up to 5,000 Aurus cars per year by 2021.

© Sputnik / Evgenya Novozhenina

Aurus, with the name combing the Latin word for ‘gold’ and ‘rus’ for Russia, stems from a project dubbed “Kortezh.” After its debut during Putin’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2018, the president suggested making the automobile line affordable for “people of any income, including middle earners.” The presidential wheels have since grabbed much attention during the Russian leader’s foreign trips, including at the G20 summit in Argentina and during a visit to Finland, where he met with US President Donald Trump.

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