Futuristic supercar fleet protects President Putin

In addition to high defense features, the new Russian President's car will have a beautiful interior design and extremely powerful engine.

Design of a new limousine for the Russian President under the Cortege project. Photo: Sputnik

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade recently released images of the latest car line.belonging to the project "Cortege",specially designed for the President and senior officials of this country, according to RT.

Cortege project isMoscow State Scientific Research Institute of Engines and Automobiles (NAMI)deployed at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2012.In addition to the presidential limousine, the project also includes a fleet of vehicles including a sedan, a minivan and an SUV.

President Putin is using the German Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman for short trips within the country and abroad, but he still wants to own a Russian-made car.

"A country like Russia must have its own line of cars for its top leaders. We are working on this plan. I hope that by the end of 2018 it will become a reality and this project will not only provide limousines.for leadershipbut also SUVs, minibuses, hatchbacks and many others. This will become a new brand for Russian domestic cars," Putin said at a press conference.

In order to achieve perfection in design and performance,NAMI has partnered with two of the world's leading automakers, Porsche and Bosch. Porsche is said to be responsible for developing an improved version of the 4.8-liter turbocharged V8 engine, capable of producing 600 horsepower.

The interior of a car from the Cortege project. Photo: Sputnik

The second engine, built by NAMI, was first introduced at the 2016 International Auto Show. This engine is expected to replace the 6.6l engine and increase the capacity to 860 horsepower.

The Cortege project fleet is expected to be equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission manufactured by Russian technology transfer experts KATE.

In 2016, the Russian Patent Office decided to make public the design of the limousine's front dashboard, which is mainly made of leather and wood. The dashboard includes a digital touch screen, a multimedia system, and separate climate control systems for the driver, front and rear passengers.

In addition to the executive versions, a number of civilian versions without security features under the Cortege project will also be available in 2018.It is expected that next year, about 200 cars of the Cortege project will be produced and in 2020, a total of 5,000 cars are expected to be produced.

Minivan version of the Cortege project. Photo: Sputnik.

Last year, the Russian government spent about 3.7 billion rubles (about $61.6 million) on the project, along with 3.6 billion rubles (about $60 million) in 2015. The Russian Defense Ministry is very interested in the armored SUV version, but it will probably be delayed after the completion of the limousine, sedan, and escort minivan versions.

According to VNE