UAE to work jointly with Russia on civilian adaptation of presidential Kortezh (Video)

The single modular platform, or as it is widely known, the “Kortezh,” was designed as a basis for armored cars for the Russian president with an ambition to further transform it to a high-class auto series adapted to be sold to and used by civilians.

Alexey Borovkov, the head of the Center for Computer Engineering and who has participated in the development of the latest generation of Russian presidential cars, expressed confidence that Vladimir Putin's invitation to the UAE leader to inspect the Kortezh limo and its upcoming debut in a foreign trip, the Trump-Putin meeting in Helsinki, had only boosted interest.

“First of all, I think this is because our president [Putin] was showing [the limo],” Borovkov said, referring to the Crown Prince’s interest, Ria Novosti reports. “The country is rich, there are a lot of people who would like to see and buy such cars.”

A limousine of this type was spotted among other vehicles delivered to Finland ahead of the upcoming US-Russia high-level summit in Helsinki, where Putin is due to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump. Finnish media report that the arrival of the motorcade may also heighten interest in the luxurious cars, according to Borovkov.

Media has reported that the Russian president's Kortezh limousine has arrived in Finland's capital ahead of the upcoming summit between the two leaders.

On July 6, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov announced that the Defense Security and Development Foundation (DSDF), which is owned by the UAE company Tawazun, will be joining Russia in the Kortezh car project and will invest some 110 million euros in it.

The two countries will jointly develop the high-end cars under the brand name Aurus, which will adapt the Kortezh for civilian use. It is planned that the Aurus will hit the market in the first quarter of 2019. Several variants of the vehicles are planned to be built on the basis of the platform — a limousine, a sedan and a minivan.

The Defense Security and Development Foundation (DSDF), which is owned by the Emirati company Tawazun, will join Russia in its Kortezh (Cortege) car project, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said in a statement.  According to the minister, the joint venture is aimed at transforming the presidential armored cars into high class autos for the private sector under another brand name – "Aurus."

DSDF will receive a 30% share in Aurus, while the original Kortezh developer, NAMI, will retain 60%. Another participant in the venture, the Russian car producer Sollers, will receive 5%. DSDF is planning to invest some 110 million euros in the project.

The adaptation of the armored cars had earlier been suggested by Putin, who said that the line should be affordable for “people of any income, including middle-earners.” The mass production of the cars under the brand name Aurus is expected to start in 2019.

The Kortezh vehicles were designed by the Moscow-based Central Scientific Research Automobile & Engine Institute (NAMI) and were built as a replacement for the foreign-made armored cars previously used by the president during trips.