All about Vladimir Putin's new luxury car

The four-seat Uros Senat was presented to journalists as the latest addition to Putin's Russian-built bodyguard carport.

Russia unveiled a new luxury car at the Moscow Auto Show and a local limousine led by President Vladimir Putin at its inauguration ceremony broadcast by television stations.

The four-seat Aurus Senat was presented to journalists as the latest addition to Putin's Russian-built bodyguard carport. The group is expected to include a van, off-road vehicle and a motorcycle.

The limousine, which also carries the Aurus brand, was first seen in May when Putin used it instead of his Mercedes during his inauguration ceremony to send a national message of Russian self-sufficiency.

Russia is seeking to reduce its dependence on imported goods and technology, a trend that has gained momentum since the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow.

And the Uros series produced by the Russian Research Institute (NAMI) in partnership with the Russian company Sollers.

Industry Minister Dennis Mantorov, who unveiled the new car on Wednesday, said contracts for commercial orders for Uros would be signed next month, according to the Russian Information Agency.

He added that 120 Uros will be produced next year and that off-road vehicles are expected to enter the production line by the beginning of 2010.

Mantorov said the electric motorcycle Uros would not enter production before 2020.

The new limousine will replace the Russian Ziel sedan, which was the official Soviet car auction.