► Aurus Senat is Russia’s take on a luxury car
► Limousine is used by Russian president
► Putin has gifted two to North Korean leader
Russian president Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a second Aurus Senat during his June 2024 visit to Pyongyang. The Aurus is Russia’s homemade luxury car and the country’s take on Rolls-Royce.
The pair were seen driving each other around in the Russian saloon following a ceremonial gift-giving. The Aurus Senat was among the items Putin presented to Kim – who is reputed to be something of a car enthusiast in spite of the sanctions imposed on his country – with the Russian president receiving a pair of hunting dogs in exchange.
This recent appearance follows the Kremlin’s confirmation in February that a previous Aurus saloon seen in North Korea was also a gift from Putin himself.
What is an Aurus?
Aurus was set up after Putin tasked the country to produce its own take on a luxury car, with its first model – the Senat – being produced from 2018. The Russian limo pictured was the result.
Run by Russia’s Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute, abbreviated to NAMI, Aurus was created following Putin’s instruction that Russian should make its own presidential vehicles.
Putin has been using an Aurus Senat since 2018 as his personal presidential limousine, and the car has been available to other buyers since 2021. News agency Reuters reports that according to Russian automotive analytics agency Autostat, some 40 Aurus Senat cars have been sold in Russia this year.
Judging by the shape of the grille, Kim hasn’t been given an example of the facelifted model revealed in May 2024 – but then these are expected to be reserved for Putin and other Russian officials until 2025.
What exactly is the Aurus Senat?
The Senat is a large saloon that comes in three forms – the standard Senat, the Senat Long and the Senat Limousine – the latter being more like a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman with its elongated bodywork.
According to the firm’s website, the Senat Limousine is the ‘first luxury car from Russia’, and represents the ‘renaissance of Russia’s industrial, scientific and technological potential’. It’s fully armoured – not surprising given Putin uses one – and uses a 4.4-litre twin-turbo hybrid V8 engine producing 590bhp and 649lb ft of torque. The engine is developed by NAMI but Porsche is said to have been involved in it too.
Aurus has since expanded its range to include the Komendant SUV, which launched in in Russia in 2023, and there are apparently plans afoot to produce hydrogen-powered Senats as well as more conventional battery electric vehicles.
Can you only buy an Aurus in Russia?
Aurus set out to create cars first and foremost for its most discerning native customers, namely Putin himself. However, it always signalled intent to expand beyond Russia.
The Aurus Senat was even displayed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show – its first showing in Europe following its reveal at the Moscow motor show a year earlier. Aurus originally set out to export the luxury saloon to the Middle East and China as well, though following Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, any expansion plans have since been halted.
Aurus models are produced in small numbers, with just 31 cars reportedly sold in Russia in 2022, accounting for eight per cent of the overall luxury car market in the country.
While it’s not entirely clear what impact Western car manufacturers pulling out of the Russian market following the Ukraine conflict has had on its sales, Reuters reports a senior Russian official has announced that Aurus will soon start building cars in a former Toyota factory in St Petersburg.
What does the North Korean leader think of his new car?
On a visit to Russia in September 2023, Kim Jong Un reportedly inspected Mr Putin’s personal Aurus Senat Limousine and ‘liked it’.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim’s sister, and senior Pyongyang official, Kim Yo Jong thanked Putin on her brother’s behalf after the first example was delivered, saying: ‘The gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders’.
In imagery and video provided by KCNA covering the hand over and drive of the second Aurus limousine, both leaders can be seen laughing and joking, as well as taking turns driving each other.
Despite the UN sanctions banning the import of luxury goods, Kim is understood to have amassed a collection of luxury foreign vehicles, using a new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class on a previous visit to Russia in 2019.