As a rule, the heads of major world states move by cars, especially for them made to order. Typically, these are armored executive models equipped with a special set of safety features. It is interesting that certain information about these cars is classified, so it’s almost impossible to name their price and the full range of options available inside.
Overview
It is difficult to say which of the heads of state in the world has the coolest transport, since at first glance all the cars are outwardly good. But one thing can be said for sure: the leaders of large countries in which the automotive industry is developed move on domestic models. For example, the President of Italy, popularizing the local auto industry, drives a five-meter sedan brand Lancia Thema. The leader of the Czech Republic received a new generation of Superb gifts from the Skoda automobile concern. For more than six decades, all French presidents have been driving only their country's car.
The exception is Vladimir Putin. Today he moves on an armored Mercedes S600 Pullman. Taking a look at the cars of the current president of the Russian Federation, we can definitely conclude: at work, the head of our state prefers premium German cars, although in his personal garage there are models of domestic brands of cars, some of which are rare.
Pullman armor protects against grenades and machine guns. The car is equipped with a sealing system in case a gas attack occurs. The salon of this limousine is more like a mini-office: the Russian president has the opportunity to solve government issues while being directly in the car. Information about the options and the principle of operation of internal security systems is a secret. However, according to preliminary estimates, such a limousine cost at least nine hundred thousand euros.
Previously, Russian leaders traveled in armored limousines ZIL-41052. Intelligence of the United States for a long time could not find out their secret. And only after the collapse of the USSR, the Americans purchased and disassembled ZIL-41052. It turned out that the Russians of his frame was not reinforced with armor. Our designers managed to create a special armored capsule, and a machine was already gathering around it. The President of the Russian Federation has long wanted to transfer to a domestic car model. And such an opportunity will be presented very soon. For this purpose, a completely new "Tuple" was created.
At the beginning of 2018, everyone will be able to see the car, the photo of which is presented below.
general information
Ordinary citizens are unlikely to know that all the cars of the Russian head of state belong to the FSO structural unit - the Special Purpose Garage. The history of its existence dates back to 1921, when the Council of People's Commissars allocated several machines designed to serve Lenin and his family. However, the date of birth of GON can be considered 1906, when the Imperial Motorized Garage was created at the court of Nicholas II. The cars that were in it, after the revolution, were inherited by the Bolshevik government.
Today, the main means of transportation for the head of the Russian state is the armored Mercedes S class, Grand Pullman model. It, depending on the goals, is sometimes changed to Mercedes Sprinter, VW Caravelle or BMW 5-Series.
The elongated executive limousine of the president was made on special order. Its length is 6.2 meters. The assembly of this machine was carried out in strict secrecy. According to some reports, it weighs about three tons. This "weight" is explained primarily by the massive body armor, as well as the presence of special tires that can withstand not only shots, but also grenade explosions. However, despite such a tangible mass, the current car of the president has a fairly decent dynamics, which is provided by a 400-horsepower engine with a displacement of six liters. However, it is known that Putin prefers domestic equipment. Even the helicopters on which he flies are Russian Mi-8s. That is why the Cortege project was launched on his initiative.
New cars of the head of state
It is already known that the elected President of Russia will arrive at the inauguration in 2018 on a new super limousine. The media has already exhibited photos of this machine. It is known that the Cortege, the car of the President of Russia, will look much better than the megacadillac of its American counterpart. From now on, the head of our state can be seen coming out not from the special version of Mercedes Pulman, but from a domestic-made limousine. What are the cars of the "Cortege" project, their photos, technical specifications - all this will be presented in this article. According to media reports, about twelve billion rubles were planned to create this ambitious program, and only 3.61 billion rubles will be transferred directly from the budget. For this amount, a whole family of Russian-made limousines will be created.
"Tuple" - a car, the photo of which is presented below - will be produced not only for top officials of our state. There are several modifications. Off-road vehicles, sedans - cars of the Cortege series - will be produced in series. It is assumed that at least five thousand units will be produced per year, which will be sold to individuals as well.
The lineup
Cars "Cortege" of Russian production will be presented in several versions. According to the program, there will soon be a sedan, limousine, minivan and SUV, produced under this program. Of course, not all will be equipped with “presidential” reservations, special communications, etc. Only the “Tuple” of the President of Russia will have a special assembly. The new car is supposed to be purchased for other representatives of the authorities. Upon prior request, certain additional options can be installed on them.
Both domestic and global automotive experts today already recognize that Cortege vehicles will be very popular not only with government officials, but also with wealthy businessmen. However, do not think that this will be a commercial project. Indeed, from Soviet times, for the first time in Russia, “your” own supercar will appear, which will be driven by both the head of state and his escort. Cars of the Cortege project, as you know, include a limousine for the President of Russia, as well as support cars with bodies of SUVs and minibuses intended for accompanying persons.
Description
First of all, “Tuple” is the car of the President of Russia. Therefore, for vehicles of this level in the limousine of the head of state there will be provided an armored capsule, communication and special communications systems, multimedia devices, means for protecting against listening or intercepting information, evacuation, radio-electronic options for power defense. Presidential cars "Cortege" will be equipped with tires that work even after heavy fire. A disc system will be installed on them so that the limousine can, if necessary, go even without tires. Another innovation will be a special gas tank. It is said that even without security cars and a cleaned FSO territory, which is impossible in reality, people in this vehicle will be protected from an enemy helicopter, an unmanned aerial vehicle, as well as from grenades and a machine gun.
Additional Information
Today, many experts are interested in what are the cars "Cortege". I must say that this is a made-up name. In FSUE NAMI - Scientific Research Automobile Institute - the project is called the “Unified Modular Platform”, shortly EMP. This simple name is explained by many. After all, we are talking not only about the presidential limousine, but also about several other models that have a single technical “stuffing”.
I must say that modular platforms today are widely used in the automotive industry. No car company known in the world can do without them. The most famous representatives of the modular family in Russia are the MQB, combining Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and SEAT models, as well as the B0, which is used for Renault, Lada, Nissan, Dacia cars.
“Unified modular platform”
It was developed by US, but at the initial stage very serious German partners joined this project. It is about Bosch Engineering and Porsche Engineering. The latter developed one of two engines that equipped the Russian-made Cortege vehicles. According to media reports, this unit was created on the basis of the existing Porsche V8 engine with a volume of 4.6 liters, but in the domestic specification its cubic capacity was reduced to 4.4 liters. However, it must be said that engine performance will not be affected by this: it is expected that with the help of the existing two turbochargers, the Cortege cars will have a capacity of up to 600 horsepower and a torque of 880 Nm.
Specifications
The second motor that the Cortege will be equipped with - a new Russian car - is the V12. It is developed directly at US. This engine was first demonstrated at the International Motor Show in Moscow in 2016. With a volume of 6.6 liters and the support of a pair of two-stage turbines, the engine will develop 860 liters. forces and 1000 Nm of torque. Traction is supplied to the wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission manufactured by the Russian company Kate. According to some reports, in the "machine", the working name of which is R932, an electric motor is built in instead of a torque converter. Thanks to this innovation, Cortege cars will have all the advantageous characteristics of a hybrid drive. By the way, a similar transmission device is provided for both Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The acceleration time of all models is seven seconds, and the maximum speed that they can develop is 250 kilometers per hour.
Design models "Tuple"
The new Russian car, a photo of which can already be seen in the media, is often discussed by experts. In recent years, several dozen versions of sketches of all models in the series have been published. It is already known that the main style of the supercar was developed at US in the Russian Automotive Design division. However, the final version of the lineup can only be seen at the end of 2017. There are only sketchy images of the presidential limousine. They were published in a newsletter issued by Rospatent, dated June 1, 2017.
A year earlier, the design of the front panel of the car was declassified in the same department of Russia. The photo shows a generous finish of leather and wood, giving the appearance, of course, a noble appearance.
As in the case with a single platform, as well as engines and transmission, the interior design of the entire model range - a limousine, a crossover, a sedan and a minibus - will be similar. Judging by the pictures published in the press, they will all be equipped with a digital dashboard, a sufficiently large screen of the multimedia system and, of course, two “washers” that regulate climate control inside the cars. They are provided for both the driver and the front passenger. It is easy to guess that the presidential limousine will also have a climate system for the rear passenger.
Dimensions
Today, the preliminary parameters of the Cortege series cars are already known. The executive limousine has a length of 5800-6300 mm, a width of 2000-2200 mm with a wheelbase of 3400-3800, and a height of 1600-1650.
SUV class cars have slightly different parameters. Their length is 5300-5700, width - 2000-2100, wheelbase - 3000-3300, and height - 1850-1950 millimeters.
The parameters of the minibus are also very impressive. Its length is 5400-5800 millimeters, its width is 2000-2100 with a wheelbase of 3200-3500 and a height of 1900-2200.
Involvement of foreign companies
Perhaps one of the most famous foreign companies that took part in the project is the Swedish Haldex. Its all-wheel drive system is well known to motorists. However, only one of its units, which produces pneumatic brakes, took part in the project. They are often used on executive limousines.
At the same time, Brembo, a well-known manufacturer from Italy, whose products are often installed on sports and racing cars, worked on the brakes of the Cortege series. In the list of co-executors of the project, another company is the famous French Valeo, which produces auto components. In Nizhny Novgorod, she has a production of wipers and lighting systems.
The list of creators of the domestic presidential transport also includes Harman Connected. She specializes in audio systems manufactured under the Bang & Olufsen and Harman / Kordon brands. They are installed on models of premium brands by such giants of the automotive industry as BMW and Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, etc. In the Tuple project, Harman Connected was engaged in software development. This company also has a representative office in Nizhny Novgorod. She developed software for multimedia for the president’s car, as well as for top officials of our state.
Interesting information
Already in January 2014, in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russian President Putin was able to evaluate the prototype VIP limousine called "Cortege". He liked the car, he even got behind the wheel of the layout, but then it was impossible to talk about full testing.
Putin saw “prototype A,” which will be available to the Federal Security Service before the end of 2017. The developers initially warned that they could not quickly design the whole car from scratch. However, they identified several key components that are characterized as a “purely Russian product”. This is the body, starting with its design and ending with the structure, the engine is the hallmark of the brand, the transmission, because for the first time in the world the presidential limousine is all-wheel drive, the chassis, including tuning nodes and components from well-known companies, the electronics control the engine, chassis and transmission .