[ysjoy]

Hi BHPians,

ICYMI:
"Russia begins production of high-end sedan promoted by Putin"

"The limousine used by Vladimir Putin comes with either a 590hp V8 hybrid or 800hp+ V12"

"Russia on Monday has begun production of the Aurus Senat luxury sedan car promoted by President Vladimir Putin.

Russia unveiled plans for the Aurus line of cars in 2013. Putin helped to promote its limousine model by driving it during his 2018 inauguration as president for a new six-year term.

Production of the sedan is unlikely to have a significant impact on Russia's car industry in the near future. Industry Minister Denis Manturov said 200-300 cars would be produced this year, the Vedomosti newspaper reported.

The car, seen as a prestige project for the Kremlin, with its most basic available features will cost 18 million roubles ($245,000).

Russia has also been trying to reduce its dependence on imported goods and technology, a drive that gathered speed after Moscow was hit by Western sanctions in 2014."

"Aurus (not to be confused with Toyota’s now-discontinued family hatch, the Auris) is a new marque set up and run by Russia’s snappily-titled Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engine Institute.
Its new car is no pale imitation of the Roller, either, with a stately front end and confident profile, plus interior design and technology to rival the very best.

A digital instrument cluster, up-to-the-minute infotainment and swathes of wood, metal and leather maintain the best standards of luxury. You also get reclining rear seats, a fridge, fold-out tables and crystal drinking glasses.

Under the bonnet, things get a little mad. There are two engine options: a V8 and a V12. The V8 is a 4.4-litre attached to a hybrid system, good for 590hp. The V12 displaces 6.6 litres and puts out a titanic 848hp. That might seem excessive but you’ll need it if you’ve opted for the 21.7-foot long-wheelbase Senat. That’s a full two feet longer than an Extended Wheelbase Phantom.

Unlike the big Rolls, power is sent to all four wheels rather than just the rears. It does get quite snowy in Moscow, after all.

If you’re chomping at the bit to get hold of an Aurus Senat, you’ll have to wait until next year. No, it isn’t Russia-only: the car is confirmed for international markets. As for the price? We’ve no hard numbers yet, although a 20% saving versus an equivalent Rolls-Royce or Bentley was allegedly targeted."

Link to youtube video

Source(s)
Jalopnik (via twitter)
Reuters news item
Motoringresearch.com news item

PS: Admin/ Mods: my first submission, pl post if this post/ news item meets TBHP requirements / standards for posting

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for sharing. Handsome car. Clearly drawn inspiration from Rolls Royce. On the M&M versus Fiat Chrysler we had more than half our members reprimanding M&M for stealing FCA's design/IP. I wonder what their view will be here in this case.

[abhishek46]

This looks like a carbon copy (with some weird elements thrown in) of the Phantom.

It looks like they went to great lengths, designing a wonderful cabin, v12 engines etc., but why copy the exterior from the RR, and lose all the accolades for the hard work?

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

but why copy the exterior from the RR, and lose all the accolades for the hard work?

In order to tap into the fanbase of Rolls Royce, Russian market had been seeing new sales records of Rolls Royce in recent years, that may be the reason to mimic.

China is recently the highest selling market for Rolls Royce, surpassing US, so much importance it has got that to cater to Chinese fascination of bigger grills, Rolls Royce increased the size of grills for China.

Grills do matter a lot it seems, related thread here (Would ugly radiator grilles dissuade you from buying a particular car?)

[no_fear]

Why will someone want to buy a car that looks like a weird mix of a Rolls Royce, Bentley and a Chrysler. Those who have have the money, will just buy the original. Looks like Russia's way of helping some of its oligarchs and Putin's buddies to make more money peddling vanity projects in the name of national glory.

This is similar to China's grand car project - the Hongqi L5.

Good to see these machines on TV shows or on forums to be ridiculed, no desire to see them out in real life.

[srini1785]

I don't understand the need for the Russians to ape British cars. They have some of the most original designers in the field of Aerodynamics, Defense and pure engineering. Probably they got fed up by the repeated attempts by British (Top gear et all) and western media to portray their vehicles in bad light.

That should not mean that they just ape the RR's timeless design just for telling their western counterparts that "we can do it too". This puts them in the league of the Chinese. The Russians are better at designing Tanks / 4x4's / AK's but luxury cars need aesthetics and subtlety which probably the British are better at. After all, the British design these cars for nobility and royalty while the Russians just cut their heads off.

[SatJordan]

Good artists copy and great artists steal.

What we have here can be seen as Russia's desperate attempt to appear on the list of luxury vehicle manufacturers. The civilian version of Putin's drive is set to give one a premium experience to flaunt around. I wonder how this is going to be responded to once it sets foot in the international markets.

With great support from the President and built with mostly locally sourced materials, looks the car is a genuine call for the country to have its automobile industry pierce beyond the confines of Russia. Besides, disputes regarding IPs and loyalties are definitely one area they have to be well prepared to shell out a lot of efforts and of course, the finances.

[Raghu M]

Is it just me who think it's a Rolls Royce with a different badge? Somehow looks exactly like a RR. The bonnet, the front grill and the headlights look almost the same!

[TrackDay]

This reminded me of those generic cars in the GTA games. Looks like the Russians hired some Chinese Xerox agency to get this job done. Why do newer car companies feel the need to imitate established brands ? They should instead try to create their own identity. Also from the video shared, so much is visible speaking in terms of fit and finish !

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by srini1785

After all, the British design these cars for nobility and royalty while the Russians just cut their heads off.

Off topic

The French cut heads off. The Russians prefer shooting royalty under the ruse of a photo op and then desecrate the bodies. The Romanovs had a most gruesome end.

[Turbo yoda]

YouTube suggesting the obvious

[Sudarshan42]

Reminds me of the Hongqi L5

https://youtu.be/yWUjTSbsksk

[anjan_c2007]

The front facade and also the side profile to some extent resembles the Rolls Royce's present range, though they have done nothing to replicate the Spirit of Ecstasy up there ! In the 1940's Russia (then USSR), developed a luxury car based on the 1942 Packard. The ZIS-110 was a Soviet limousine from ZIL introduced in 1946. The 110 was developed from the reverse engineering of the 1942 Packard 180. After Stalin, the ZIL 110 c Cabriolet was used as a parade car for Nikita Khrushchev.

The ten famous cars from the West that were reverse engineered by Russians in the past:-

https://www.rbth.com/science-and-tec...driven-western

Back to the Aurus Sena, its radiator grille with the headlights and those massive vents though give some frown and arrogance to its looks that's not unusual, given the authority in the corridors of power, the potential owners or users will derive.

It appears that the sedan was in the making since 2013 and was first unvieled for the public in the Moscow International Automobile Salon in September 2018. Porsche and Bosch Engineering were also involved in the engine's development.

But at 120 units, the half yearly targeted sales for 2021 by the car maker, will it sustain the company ? There is also a gestation period to break even. There could be state funded equity with the automaker NAMI, which is manufacturing these limousines. It has been researched and developed mainly by a government department.

Rolls Royce has sold 5152 units in 2019, the highest ever in its 116 year history. The 2020 figures would be though misleading due to the pandemic, the resulting lockdowns and recessions the world over. A half yearly 120 or even 240 for a full year for the Aurus Senat pales in comparison.

[sramanat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Thank you for sharing. Handsome car. Clearly drawn inspiration from Rolls Royce. On the M&M versus Fiat Chrysler we had more than half our members reprimanding M&M for stealing FCA's design/IP. I wonder what their view will be here in this case.

I was one of the guys who reprimanded Mahindra, but not for copying. Unlike this car, M&M had (still have?) a license agreement of some sort. I chided Mahindra for not outgrowing the early licensing days and evolve their own design.

This case, at this point looks, more of an amusement than a serious attempt. They will have to make some money before Rolls Royce can sue them and get a fat settlement. Else it would look like the time when J K Rowling sent a notice to a bunch of Pujo organizers in Kolkata for having a Harry Potter themed pandal.

[ads11]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ored-limousine

Back when the car first broke cover, the boys at The War Zone did a good break down of this vanity project by Putin. To give you some context for just how invested old Vlad is in the project, you need only look at the project code name and the various spin off platforms:

Putin reportedly initiated the program, known as Project Cortege – a relatively archaic word that in English describes a person's personal retinue or a solemn procession, such as a funeral – after winning his third presidential election in 2012. The limousine is the first in what officials say will be an entire fleet of 14 new "Unified Modular Platform" vehicles for the FSO, including sedans, minivans, and SUVs. Additional examples could go to other Russian government agencies.

"[Putin] has already familiarized himself with the project and has seen its various stages,” Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov told Russian newspaper Izvestia in June 2017. “He even took 'Prototype A' for a drive; there wasn't enough time to show 'Prototype B'.”

Some of the planned derivatives. I mean lord only knows what they were thinking with that van, it looks like a glorified Renault/Dacia Lodgy. The only utility I can think of is to ferry around the security detail of whoever is riding shotgun in the actual Aurus limo.

We get some further details of the outside consultants brought in to advise on this vanity project:

Though the vehicle is domestically produced, reportedly, NAMI hired German car firms Porsche and Robert Bosch to help in the development, with the former company supplying a 600-horsepower turbocharged V8 engine. NAMI developed a second, significantly more powerful engine itself and this could be one of the major differences between the A and B prototypes.

If Russia is to play the part of a resurgent great power again, then you bet the treasury will spend to ensure the glorious leader has a suitable chariot:

As of 2017, the Russian government had already put at least nearly $300 million into the development program.

As for the planned production models, this was what was envisioned back in 2018:

In addition, Russia hopes that Project Cortege will serve as a springboard for the country to re-enter the global luxury vehicle market. Civilian versions of the various Project Cortege designs, which Sollers JSC plans to sell under a new brand Aurus, will be available in small numbers in 2019, with reported prices ranging from $95,500 and $111,500. “Aurus” is an amalgamation of “aurum,” the Latin word for Gold, and “rus” for Russia.

For a brand without the significant cache that comes with say the Spirit of Ecstasy or the Flying B on the bonnet, that's a pretty penny but I guess the Russians are counting on the cache that comes with it being Comrade Putin's vehicle of choice. Just how much demand there might be amongst the Russian elites to get ferried around in this vehicle versus your run of the mill S-class and equivalents, remains to be seen (especially as it's taken this long to get into serial production).

Ultimately though, symbolism counts, especially for strongmen leaders. As others have correctly pointed out earlier, the Chinese clearly have adopted a domestic limo in the form of the Hongqi for President Xi and we seen Putin having his own bespoke ride in the form of the Aurus. It's clear that all these seek to ape the soft power influence that we associate to vehicles such as the Beast of POTUS.