Russian high-ranking officials and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself will soon be able to drive modern, domestically produced cars, instead of those manufactured abroad.
Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said at the end of December 2017, that "from day to day" new "made in Russia" vehicles for the country's top leadership and high-ranking state officials will be delivered to the Russian President. These might replace an armored limousine, Mercedes S-600 Guard Pullman, currently in use by Vladimir Putin.
The cars have been manufactured in the framework of the project called "Cortege," on the basis of a single modular platform (EMP) developed by the State Research Center NAMI in Moscow.
"The single modular platform is a project that is supposed to give impetus to the Russian automotive industry. Since the start of the project in 2013, an enormous amount of work has been done; we've analyzed all most promising design solutions, technologies and trends in the global automotive industry," Manturov said in an interview with Sputnik.
As a result of the thorough work, a new automotive concept has been formed. It is expected to be used for manufacturing different types of cars whose target audience would be not only prominent political figures, but ordinary people as well.
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"Manufactured cars, except for those intended for senior government officials, will be put on sale," Manturov said.
The project's proclaimed strategic task is to bring a new generation of Russian cars to the market, based on the most advanced technologies in the automotive industry. The project not only contributes to the development of domestic car production, but also creates new jobs, the official concluded.
