Putin’s Aurus Senat limousine arrives in New Delhi for BRICS summit

Vladimir Putin’s Aurus Senat limousine has arrived in New Delhi with the Russian president for the 18th BRICS Summit, adding a tightly controlled piece of his security detail to the capital’s summit arrangements.

The armoured vehicle is made by Aurus Motors under Russia’s Kortezh programme, created to develop domestic luxury and government vehicles. Putin regularly takes the car on overseas visits rather than using locally arranged transport.

The Senat uses a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain paired with a nine-speed automatic gearbox. It is about 5.63 metres long and 2 metres wide, and is designed with bulletproofing and blast resistance alongside driver-assistance systems including active cruise control and lane-departure warning.

Putin arrived ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BRICS summit in New Delhi, scheduled for September 12 and 13.