Putin’s Aurus Senat car: ‘Steel demon’ that survives bullets, missiles and chemical attacks, how different from Trump’s Cadillac Beast

Putin’s Aurus Senate car: Russian President Vladimir Putin Reaching India on Thursday to attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. This is his first visit to India after the Ukraine war and after four years he will again meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The thing that is being discussed the most during this trip is Putin’s state-of-the-art and one of the safest cars in the world – Aurus Senat.

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When this car was seen on the streets of Delhi among the vehicles of the security convoy that came from Russia, the video quickly went viral on social media. The reason is simple – Aurus Senat is not just a luxury limousine, but a mobile ‘fortress’, built for presidential-level security.

What is Vladimir Putin’s Aurus Senat?

The Aurus Senat is a Russian high-security luxury limousine specifically designed for official and presidential use. It is often called the “Russian Rolls-Royce” because it offers a combination of comfort, prestige and hybrid-level safety. Putin previously used a Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard Pullman, but due to Western sanctions and security reasons, Russia replaced foreign cars with domestically produced limousines under its import substitution project ‘Kortezh’. This vehicle manufactured by Aurus Motors is the result of a joint project of Russia’s NAMI Institute, Sollers JSC and UAE’s Tawazun Holding. Putin used this car for the first time in his 2018 swearing-in ceremony.

The world’s safest armored car?

Aurus Senat has been engineered in such a way that it can keep the President safe even in lethal attacks. According to international reports these include:

• Completely bulletproof and bomb-resistant armor plating
• Missile and Drone Attack Protection
• Submarine-like sealed structure – protection against chemical/biological warfare
• Run-Flat Tire – The vehicle can still run for long distances after being attacked
• Protection from fire and gas attack
• High-performance engine and state-of-the-art monitoring system

The car’s safety features are a closely guarded secret and many of them are only available in the President Edition.

Putin’s Aurus Senat vs. the US President’s Cadillac Beast

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aurus Senat is often compared to the US President’s Cadillac “The Beast”, but Aurus Senat is considered more advanced in many aspects of security and engineering. While The Beast’s design is based entirely on defense-grade steel, Kevlar and fireproof layering, the Aurus Senat comes with a sealed submarine-grade armored structure that protects against missiles, drones, chemical and biological warfare. The Beast relies on rapid escape from the scene in the event of an attack, while the Aurus Senat is capable of operation-coordination, counter-action and high-speed escape even in the midst of an attack. Run-flat tires, engine-compartment detonation systems, and emergency gas supply are present in both, but in terms of technology, the Aurus Senat is considered a purely Russian model of security and self-reliant defense technology, while The Beast is based on American third-party defense contractors. That is why Putin’s visit to Aurus Senat also signals to the world that Russia is not just dependent on foreign technology, but stands at the pinnacle of its security capability.

Price and exclusivity

The base model of Aurus Senat starts at around 18 million rubles (about ₹ 2.5 crore). But Putin’s fully-armored Presidential Edition is said to cost almost double that, because it includes top-secret military-grade technology. This model is not available to ordinary citizens.

Modi-Putin diplomatic drive

Aurus Senat is not new to India. During the SCO summit in China in September 2025, Prime Minister Modi and Putin sat together in the same car and drove for about an hour from the venue to the meeting venue. That drive was considered a symbol of the growing strategic partnership between the two presidents.

Why is the car in discussion?

Putin’s visit to India is already considered important from political and geo-strategic point of view, but Aurus Senat’s arrival on Indian streets has turned this visit into a high-visual moment. Most heads of state in the world use the American Cadillac Beast or the German Mercedes Guard models, but Putin by choosing an indigenous and ultra-safe Russian vehicle sends a clear strategic and political message – Russia is self-reliant and confident in its security technology.