The 6.6 meter limousine that Vladimir Putin gave to the leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un is called Aurus Senat L700 with an unspecified cost (we are talking about around 190 thousand euros for the non-armored model) and is an all-wheel drive hybrid. .
This car, evidently in a 'special' version, is part of the Kortez series (which means procession) which the Russian state body Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute - better known as Nami - has built in a small series in what is called in the production chain as a 'Gon-UST special purpose garage'.
Born as part of a project started in 2013, the Aurus Senat is only formally 100% Russian, because in its development it was the decisive contribution of Porsche Engineering for the engine and some functional elements and of other Western consultants, including many companies of Northern Italy.
Photo story Aurus Senat, luxury and image for the Rolls desired by Putin - Photo - Ansa.it
As described by the Corriere di Torino, Corriere della Sera group, Fibet of Moncalieri, Ocap of Ivrea and the Csi test and approval center of Trofarello worked on the creation and testing of the first Senat, as well as the Lombardy Brembo (brakes) and to the Venetian Blowtherm (painting systems).
All with an investment for this phase - specifies the Corriere di Torino - of 14 billion rubles, over 140 million euros.
The characteristics of the engine of Putin's mammoth flagship are also known, i.e. the V8 engine with hybrid section for a total of 590 HP and 880 Nm of torque, but not the values of consumption and CO2 emissions, aspects that certainly do not worry either Putin or Kim Jong Un.
In 2019, on the occasion of the Geneva Motor Show, as part of a commercial expansion program in the luxury segment (and probably to satisfy the requests of friendly governments and the industrial and economic world close to Putin) Aurus also exhibited a sedan variant of the Senat, called P600.
The car is significantly shorter (5.63 metres) and characterized by a more 'human' wheelbase of 3.3 metres.
Both cars are built on an unprecedented modular platform that can be adapted not only in length and wheelbase, but also in width.
From the same base a luxury SUV was also born, the Komendant, which is 'only' 5 meters and 38 centimeters long.
Aurus even provides an online configurator (https://aurusmotors.com/aurus_senat) but it is highly unlikely that it will be possible to import and drive a flagship identical to that of the two leaders of Russia and North Korea.
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