What is the Aurus Senat? The limousine gifted by Vladimir Putin to Kim Jong Un
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently gifted a new car to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a show of friendship between the two state leaders. The luxury limousine ‘Aurus Senat’ has been the talk of the town not for the gift itself but for violating the UN sanctions against Pyongyang. The UN sanctions ban the supply, sale and transfer of luxury goods, including cars, to North Korea. So, what is the Aurus Senat that's caught in the eye of the storm? We break it down for you.
The Aurus Senat Limousine is Vladimir Putin's official vehicle and the car is the first Russian luxury vehicle developed in the country. The Aurus Senat made its global debut in 2018 and was originally custom-made for the Russian president under the codename ‘Cortege’.
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The Aurus Senat Limousine is the presidential state car while the shorter five-door sedan is also available for civilian purchase. Visually, the Senat borrows several cues from the Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury saloon, even as the company says its retro styling is inspired by the ZIS-110 Soviet limousine of the 1940s.
The Aurus Senat is sizeable at 5,631 mm in length and weighs a hefty 2,700 kg. President Putin’s stretched limousine measures 6,700 mm and also gets armoured protection. This includes bulletproof armour, reinforced glass, bomb-resistant underfloor protection, run-flat rubber tyres, as well as integrated “offensive" weapons and a self-contained oxygen supply. The presidential state car also gets its secure-line communication system.
The cabin remains opulent on the Senat with the best of leather and finer materials gracing the cabin. The model gets dual instrument pods with a large TFT display in the centre and a large infotainment system slotted into the centre console. The rear seats get their respective screens, along with individually adjustable rear seats.
On the power front, the Senat stretched limousine gets a 6.6-litre V12 engine with about 850 bhp on offer, whereas the long-wheelbase saloon is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 developed by NAMI or the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute in Russia. The motor is said to have been developed with inputs from Porsche Engineering and is tuned to produce 590 bhp and 880 Nm of peak torque.
Kim Jong Un isn’t new to luxury cars and reportedly has a long line of opulent vehicles at his disposal. Reports suggest the leader has at least two Maybach 62s, a Mercedes-Maybach S650, a Lexus LX, a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, and a Mercedes Pullman Guard. The new Aurus Senat is now an addition to this list.
