“The Russian President Vladimir Putin gifts the car known as the ‘Russian Rolls-Royce Phantom’ to Mr. Kim Jong Un”

In September 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a state visit to Russia. During the visit, he was introduced to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aurus Senat limousine. The North Korean leader had the opportunity to experience this “Russian Rolls-Royce Phantom” himself.

Recently, Putin gifted an Aurus Senat Limousine to Kim Jong Un. According to AP, Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, received the car on February 18, 2024. She believes that this gift symbolizes the special relationship between the two leaders and signifies the strong ties between Russia and North Korea.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that Kim expressed his admiration for the car when he had the chance to experience it in September last year. Therefore, Putin decided to gift the car to the North Korean leader.

The Aurus Senat Limousine will be the latest addition to Kim’s car collection. According to some sources, the North Korean leader already owns several cars such as Mercedes-Maybach.

First presented publicly during Putin’s inauguration ceremony on May 7, 2018, the Aurus Senat Limousine is the result of the Kortezh project that started in 2012. The car has a length of 6,630 mm and a wheelbase of 4,300 mm, longer than the Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB and the Maybach 62.

Externally, the Aurus Senat Limousine bears a resemblance to Rolls-Royce cars, especially the front. It features a large grille with vertical chrome slats and square-shaped LED headlights. Even the alloy wheels are similar to those of Rolls-Royce. Additionally, there are shiny chrome details and horizontal LED taillights divided into two layers.

Inside the limousine reserved for the top leader of the Kremlin is a luxurious interior with leather seats and wooden and metal trimmings. The rear passenger compartment features four individual seats facing each other and separated by a long central control unit connected to the front cabin.

The Aurus Senat Limousine is equipped with a hybrid powertrain, consisting of a 4.4L V8 turbocharged gasoline engine producing a maximum power of 598 horsepower and a peak torque of 880 Nm. The engine is combined with a powerful 40-horsepower electric motor. The entire power is transmitted to all four wheels through a 9-speed automatic transmission.

The price of the Aurus Senat Limousine has not been revealed yet. Meanwhile, the regular Aurus Senat is priced at up to 18 million rubles (approximately 4.788 billion Vietnamese dong).