Putin, Modi ride same Aurus limo after session of SCO summit

(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode together in the Aurus Senat, a Russian-made presidential limousine, after the main session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Monday.

The luxury armored vehicle transported the leaders from the summit venue to a hotel where they held their official bilateral discussions.

Modi shared on X that the leaders “travelled together” and added that his talks with Putin are “always insightful.”

Prior to the wider delegation-level meetings, Putin and Modi held a private conversation lasting roughly an hour inside the Russian presidential limousine.

The Aurus Senat, often described as a “fortress-on-wheels,” is a large, heavily armored luxury car produced by Aurus Motors, a Russian company formed as a joint venture between a state research institute, an automotive manufacturer, and an investment firm from the UAE.

Images of the two leaders traveling together quickly gained attention on social media, drawing thousands of reactions and comments in both India and China.

The creation of the Aurus Senat followed Putin’s directive that Russia should develop its own presidential vehicles. He has personally used the Aurus Senat as his official limousine since 2018, and the model became available to private buyers in 2021.

A civilian edition of the vehicle is limited to 120 units per year, priced at approximately 18 million rubles ($223,000), and its design takes inspiration from the Soviet-era ZIS-110 limousine.

In June 2024, Putin presented an Aurus Senat to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to Pyongyang.

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