PM Modi and President Putin ride together: All you need to know about the white car
President Putin is on a two-day State visit to India. He will hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Narendra Modi in Delhi on December 5.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday arrived in India to attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi. In a rare diplomatic gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Putin at New Delhi's Palam airport with a hug and accorded him a warm welcome to India after a gap of four years. The two leaders left the airport in the same car, an unusual move that saw President Putin breaking standard protocol by riding alongside PM Modi. Notably, the vehicle used was not the Prime Minister's official car, adding further curiosity to the moment.
President Putin is on a two-day State visit to India and will hold the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Modi on December 5 in New Delhi. The visit is expected to focus on deepening strategic cooperation across defence, energy, nuclear collaboration, trade, and geopolitical coordination.
Here's the video of PM Modi-Putin
The white car
Full details have emerged about the vehicle in which Prime Minister Modi travelled with Russian President Putin from the airport. The leaders were seen departing the Palam Technical Airport in a white Toyota Fortuner, specifically the Sigma 4 MT variant, bearing the Maharashtra registration number "MH01 EN 5795".
The choice of vehicle surprised many, as it was not the Prime Minister's official car, and President Putin also broke standard security protocol by riding in the same car with PM Modi. The moment drew significant attention, given the stringent security norms that usually govern the movements of both leaders.
It is pertinent to mention that Putin always uses his preferred state vehicle, the Aurus Senat limousine, a constant companion on his overseas visits. The Aurus Senat is Russia's official presidential vehicle. Often compared with a Rolls-Royce, it is designed as a fortress on wheels and has been used to protect the Russian President for years.
The limousine is produced by Aurus Motors in Moscow. The company began in 2018 as a state-backed maker of presidential limousines and opened to the public in two thousand twenty one. It has built luxury limousines for several world leaders, including Turkmenistan’s Serdar and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
According to the Moscow Times, the Aurus Senat costs around 50 million roubles, roughly 617,000 dollars or Rs 5.6 crore. It is powered by a four point four litre V8 engine producing five hundred and ninety eight brake horsepower and eight hundred and eighty newton metres of torque. A V12 version with eight hundred and fifty brake horsepower is also offered.
Also Read: PM Modi, Putin travel together in the same car after Russian President's arrival at Palam Airport
Also Read: Aurus Senat: All about Vladimir Putin's fortress on wheels and the features it boasts