The amateur video, taken recently outside the Kremlin's southwestern exit at sunset, shows President Putin's Aurus Senat limousine making its way into the city, accompanied by two sedan escort cars (also called the Senat) and five Aurus Arsenal minivans. The video has already gained over 800,000 views.
The footage confirms the Russian presidential motorcade's long-awaited switch back to domestically-made state vehicles, dropping the tradition of using Mercedes limos started by Boris Yeltsin in 1995.
Work on Kortezh began in 2012, with $197 million invested into the project. Small quantities of the vehicles are expected to go on sale to the public starting in 2019. According to developers, potential clients in Russia and abroad have already expressed interest in their products. Engineers are continuing work on other vehicles for the presidential motorcade, including a motorcycle and SUV, called the Komendant, each of them expected to be introduced in 2019.
Russia could start producing Kortezh project motorcycles in 2019 — @Rostec_Russia https://t.co/t9xcUgD8iu pic.twitter.com/FhSU2jyG7M
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) 26 мая 2018 г.
