Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had no desire to ride in the presidential limousine project “Cortege” until the car passes all the tests. The head of state reported on Saturday, July 8, speaking at a press conference following the summit of “Big twenty”, reports “Interfax”.
“You do go by car, which is not ready, and then when you ride, and I’ll see how it happens, we are together its still postitive. Agreed?” — joked the President.
He also surprised the information that this car will reportedly be used at the inauguration of the President in 2018. “You know better than me, I first heard about it,” — said Putin.
The information that the President of Russia has tested the domestic limousine for the senior officials developed in the framework of the project “Cortege”, appeared on 6 July. The newspaper “Izvestia” wrote that the car will make its “debut away” at the inauguration of the head of state after the election in 2018.
Press Secretary of Russian leader Dmitry Peskov later said that this information “slightly exaggerated”. The fact that the car is not ready yet. Indeed, there are some sketches, let’s say, a prototype of the President saw, he liked,” — said Peskov. He also stressed that the Russian leader did not go on the prototype, and “get moving on it a little bit.”
The state project “Cortege”, realized on behalf of the President from 2012, involves the creation of a range of vehicles of special purpose: a van, an SUV, a sedan of a business class and limousine. It is expected that the first batch of limousines will be shipped in late 2017 — early 2018.