Putin and Modi share ride in Russian-made Aurus limo

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

The Aurus Senat transported the two men from the summit venue to a hotel for their official bilateral meeting.

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

Before the delegation-level talks, Putin and Modi had a one-on-one conversation lasting about an hour in the Russian presidential vehicle.

The Aurus Senat, also referred to as a “fortress-on-wheels,” is a full-sized, heavily armored luxury limousine produced by Aurus Motors, a Russian automaker that is a joint venture between NAMI, a Russian state research institute, Sollers, and the UAE’s Tawazun Holding.

Social media posts with images of the two leaders went viral in India on X, and in China on Weibo, with several thousand users liking and commenting on the story. 

The Aurus Senat was created after Putin said that Russia should make its own presidential vehicles. The Russian president has been using an Aurus Senat as his personal presidential limousine since 2018, and the car has been available to other buyers since 2021, a report by Car Magazine said. 

A civilian version is available, limited to 120 units annually, and costs around 18 million rubles ($223,000). Its design is inspired by the Soviet-era ZIS-110 limousine.

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