Putin’s Diplomatic Drive: Story Behind the $127M Car for Kim Jong Un

Russian-made VIP vehicle, Aurus Senat
Recently gifted to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
There is a possibility of violating sanctions against North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is famous for liking Mercedes-Benz. Of course, due to sanctions against North Korea, automobile brands, including Mercedes-Benz, cannot export cars to North Korea, but they circumvent this by smuggling cars through the 3rd country. Therefore, Kim Jong Un has been captured several times driving passenger vehicles such as the S-Class and Maybach.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia war in 2022, the relationship between Russia and North Korea has been getting closer. Since then, President Putin and Chairman Kim Jong Un have met several times, and it has recently become a hot topic when it is said that Putin gifted Kim Jong Un a passenger vehicle.

The Armored passenger vehicle, Aurus Senat, a gift Putin to Kim Jong Un

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the 18th that North Korea received a Russian passenger vehicle as a gift, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on the 20th, “We indeed gave Kim Jong Un the Aurus Senat passenger vehicle as a gift.”

Last September, during the North Korea-Russia summit at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia, Putin introduced Kim Jong Un to the Aurus Senat, an armored passenger vehicle he was driving, and Kim Jong Un even sat in the back seat of the vehicle. It is unknown if the car gifted to Kim Jong Un this time is the same model, but considering that he presented the armored passenger vehicle, it appears to be the same.

Development cost of $127 million
Armored Limousine, Aurus Senat

After Gorbachev, Russia used the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Pullman as an armored passenger vehicle. Still, under Putin, armored vehicles made with Russian technology were needed, so the Cortez project began in Russia in 2012. It has been known that Porsche also collaborated here.

The Cortez project was reinterpreted based on the ZiS-110 vehicle, an armored vehicle during the Soviet era before Gorbachev, and the prototype was completed in 2017 and officially unveiled in 2018. The name was later changed to Senat, and a civilian version was unveiled.

SUVs and minivans developed and produced through platform sharing

The Cortez project did not end with the Senat, a limousine sedan. Utilizing the platform applied to the Senat, the full-size SUV Komendant and minivan Arsenal were developed and released. The Arsenal was first delivered to the Russian Federal Security Service in 2017, and a civilian model was launched in 2018. Still, the Komendant has not yet been launched due to the impact of the Ukraine war.

Looking at Aurus vehicles, their overall design is reminiscent of Rolls-Royce. In particular, the sedan Senat is believed to be a Rolls-Royce imitation, with the unique Rolls-Royce grille on the front, headlamps, and side silhouette. The SUV, Komendant, has an image that combines the Mercedes GLS with the Rolls-Royce grill and the rest with Toyota’s Century SUV.