Russia has being developing a fleet of new vehicles
through its Kortezh (Cortege) project for the past couple of years and the
second model in the family is edging closer to production.
The Kortezh project will provide vehicles for top government
officials and intends on spawning an automaker dubbed Aurus, producing a total
of four different models. The first, a presidential limo for Vladimir Putin,
has already been previewed, and this clip shows a large sedan in the midst of
testing.
It will join an SUV and a minivan in the Aurus
line-up and is expected to be powered by a V8 engine with around 650 hp, and
mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Like Putin’s limo, the sedan will
adopt an exterior design that strongly resembles the Rolls Royce Phantom and
Ghost saloons.
Between 4000 and 5000
units of the limo, sedan, SUV and minivan are expected to be produced,
indicating that the vehicles won’t just be available to Russian dignitaries but
also to wealthy members of the public.
