Information preliminary
changes, clarifications and refutations are possible

April 18, 2014 The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, during a visit to NAMI, said that SUVs for the Cortege project, which involves the development of a line of domestic cars for top officials, will be produced at the facilities UAZ.
He said that “the point has already been made in this matter”: At UAZ, as part of the project, they will assemble not only cars for officials, but also “produce SUVs more accessible class ", using the same platform. According to the minister, after 2017, UAZ can produce up to 40 thousand of these SUVs.
This is directly consistent with Sollers' plans to launch a new UAZ Patriot platform by 2018.

Marussia F2 SUV concept. It could have been used in “Cortege”, but “Marusya Motors” ceased to exist in 2014.

The "Cortege" project has been under development since 2012, including the creation and production premium car for top officials, as well as accompanying vehicles - multivan, sedan and SUV. Production is planned to begin in 2017-2018.
In the fall of 2013, NAMI became the only contractor for the state order for the development of cars within the project. The volume of budget investments in Cortezh is estimated at 12.4 billion rubles. until 2017 inclusive.

In 2014, 3.61 billion rubles have already been allocated from the budget. Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich estimated the total investment in the project at 22-24 billion rubles.
The price of an SUV can start from 2 million rubles, and business class sedans - from 1-1.5 million rubles. However, Sollers representatives said that they would be able to make an SUV on the Cortege platform “really mass-produced car
", the price of which in 2017 "will be less than 1 million rubles."
Other car manufacturers within the "Cortege" are considered Oleg Deripaska's GAZ group, Volkswagen, which has production in Kaluga, Moscow ZIL, which is being reanimated by the joint venture of Sberbank and the Moscow government "MosavtoZIL". According to the minister, KamAZ can also take part in the project, which “is considered as possible partner
The manufacturer of the sedans will be determined by mid-summer, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade expects to make a final decision on all sites by the end of the year.

The Technical Specification for an SUV class escort vehicle states: Length 5300-5700 mm, width 2000-2100 mm, wheelbase 3000-3300 mm, height 1850-1950 mm.

At the moment, UAZ does not have a platform for this kind of task. The extended Limousine is built on an old platform and does not meet the requirements of a car for top officials; the UAZ concept shown in 2006 was not put into production :(.
Theoretically, the planned purchase of a license from SsangYong could become such a platform (we saw an example of such a hybrid in 2005). However, this does not fit well with the idea of ​​a government limousine as a national car.
So, we are waiting for news...

In the meantime, the designers' sketches:

Some of the sketches can be viewed

July 2014, some data on the Cortege platform is clarified:

The Cortege Platform (or EMP is a single modular platform) – all-wheel drive, with center differential Torsen and longitudinal arrangement power unit. Cardan shaft from transfer case to front axle goes on the right, as, for example, in the Audi Q7.
The engine is located above the front axle, the gearbox and transfer case are moved into the cabin, almost to the middle of the base. One of the ideas promoted personally by Maxim Nagaitsev is a starter-generator; its use will further shift the transmission. But for now, the use of a starter-generator is questionable, as the complexity of the design increases, and along with it the cost and time frame increase.

The engine is planned to be original, V12 configuration, with a volume of 6 to 6.6 liters, and a power of 800 hp. and torque 1000 N.m. Of course, it will be turbocharged. The engine will be developed by one of the foreign companies. The terms of reference were sent to three people – AVL, Ricardo and FEV. A delegation from NAMI is in Germany and is resolving issues regarding the engine.

The EMP designers are somewhat influenced by the UAZ team, which is simultaneously developing an SUV on the “tuple” platform. In particular, one of their requirements is that the driver sits close to the front axle. The fact is that the Ulyanovsk people make a car smaller than the Patriot, a sort of baby UAZ, and they have their own requirements for dimensions. All layouts are built around a single motor shield and pedal assembly. This slightly limits the freedom of SUV and minivan designers. In general, the van, along the way, turned from a single-volume one to a strictly hooded one, due to the requirements for the driver’s seating position.

A minimum of original components is planned. In fact, only the motor and, possibly, the starter-generator will be its own. Gearbox, transfer case, suspension, etc. will be ordered from specialized companies. The design of all Cortege cars was made by Alexey Chvokin. But these are only preliminary sketches; in the future, the appearance of the cars will change.

The first prototypes of the A series should appear in the spring of 2016, production is unlikely to begin before 2019.

February 2017, official images of the Cortege cars have appeared.
They were published on the official website of Rospatent as a patent for an industrial design dated February 8, 2017
The patent holder is indicated: Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Central Order of the Red Banner of Labor Research Automobile and Automotive Institute" US" (RU)

SUV (patent RU 102117):

At the inauguration of the Russian President, who will be elected in 2018, citizens will see the new super limousine of the head of state. It became known what it will look like and how it will be better than Obama’s MegaCadillac. Now the Russian leader will not drive a special version of the Mercedes “Pulman”, but a limousine Russian production- the so-called “Project “Cortege”, maximally protected, armored, equipped with all types of communications.

As the media found out, funding has been retained for the creation of the “Cortege” project, in which 3.7 billion rubles are allocated from the state budget alone. An assembly site for limousines for top government officials is already located in Moscow.

This is what it will look like...

“Until now, it is not known exactly what displacement the engine will have - 6.0 liters or 6.6 liters. But the power of this engine should be within 800 horsepower,” the press has already written. The journalists added that there are other cars in the project - “a sedan, an SUV and a minibus”, which will receive turbo engines “with a smaller displacement.”

By the way, the SUV and sedan from the “Cortege” project will be mass-produced - at least 5,000 units per year and will be sold even to private (naturally, very wealthy) individuals. It is clear that private cars of the “Cortege” series will not be equipped with “presidential” armor and special communications (unless, of course, they are purchased at state auctions for the leadership of government agencies).

Experts, including global automotive experts, already recognize that the “Cortege” brand (or “a car like the president’s”) will be very popular among wealthy businessmen and government officials. However, we are not talking about a commercial project - after all, for the first time since Soviet times, Russia will have “its own” supercar, which will be driven by the head of state and his accompanying vehicles.

“As you know, the Cortege project includes the development of a limousine for the President of the Russian Federation, support vehicles in the backs of SUVs and minibuses for accompanying persons,” experts confirm.

“The stylization of the ZIS-115 Stalinist limousine can be considered quite successful: on the one hand, its motifs are unmistakably recognizable in the prototype of the “Cortege” project, on the other, they do not have a single exterior detail similar in shape.”
“Naturally, vehicles of this level have an armored capsule, communication and special communications systems, multimedia systems, means of protection against eavesdropping and interception of communications, evacuation systems, electronic and power defense, as well as all sorts of special gadgets.” Tires that work even after heavy shelling, a system of disks on which a limousine can drive without tires, a special gas tank,” a person who had a hand in the creation of Soviet and post-Soviet limousines for the country’s leadership tells Politonline.ru.

He added that even without the territory cleared by the FSO and security vehicles, “which does not happen in reality,” those in the limousine “must fully meet the appearance of a hostile helicopter, drone, grenade and machine gunners.

Of course, the specifications for the Cortege project, as well as the booking details presidential limousine, special communication systems and other subtleties, he did not report.

“The exact information about the design of the armored cars is kept in the strictest confidence. Each one is assembled to special order. but it is known that the car is equipped with special tires that allow it to continue driving despite punctures,” experts write.

"Self-sealing fuel tank and an automatic fire extinguishing system. “As experts note, the limousine has cylinders with air reserves, which will allow it to withstand a gas attack, hidden loopholes, and compartments for storing a variety of weapons,” they add.

Some experts even report that " American car President is good if you have a little trouble, but ours is ready for war.” They explain that "passengers can survive a small nuclear explosion, but at a certain distance."

Project "Cortege" – this is a government order aimed at developing its own own car for the needs of the president and other government officials. It is planned to create technical means, capable of competing with leading foreign concerns such as BMW and Mercedes.

Luxury models

What features should a presidential car have?

Currently, the head of the Russian state uses German Mercedes car S600 Pullman. It is planned to create a car that will not be inferior to it in quality and visual appeal. What will distinguish the motorcade from its imported analogues?

• First of all, the security of the head of state is important. Pullman armor can withstand not only machine gun shots, but also hand grenade explosions, so the “Cortege” should not be inferior in these parameters.
• It is necessary to provide a sealed security system that can protect people in the cabin from gas attacks; Mercedes has such a system and actively works if necessary.
• The President often decides a large number of issues on the go, so the car interior should not only be beautiful and comfortable, but also have all the necessary office supplies so that the head of state can carry out his activities while traveling.
• There are other security systems, the details of which are kept in the strictest confidence.
• The cost of a new car, according to experts, will be at least 900,000 euros.
• Planned to revive government car ZIL, significantly modify it, turning it into a modern competitive limousine.
• In addition to the limousine, several more models are being developed, for example, an SUV for security and a minibus for escort.
• “Cortege” is a completely Russian development, the gearbox and engine are designed and planned to be assembled in Russia, but it is no secret that many design elements were borrowed from foreign analogues, for example, Porsche.

general information

The cars of the “Cortege” project, photos of which can already be seen, were produced in several copies. There are no plans for their wide release, but sales will become possible in the future; they may be of interest to some successful businessmen.

• The project was a personal initiative of the president; it is aimed not only at showing that the Russian leader drives a car domestic production, but also to develop a platform completely different from foreign analogues that can prove its viability. In other words, these are long-term investments aimed at reviving the Russian automobile industry.
• The inauguration of the new president will take place in the limousine in question.
• Designers make every effort to make modern limousine, which in many respects will exceed imported analogues, in particular the American Cadillac.
• More than 12 billion rubles have already been invested in the project. The money was allocated to create not just one car, but a whole family, including a variety of models for different purposes and tasks.
• Planned serial production SUVs of this family: this will allow us to launch the project to the masses and cover all the costs spent on its creation.
• The manufacturer plans to produce 5,000 cars per year; they will become available not only to government agencies, but also to private individuals.
• The program includes the creation of a limousine, SUV, minivan. Of course, the equipment of the cars will depend on their purpose, for example, the presidential version will have special communications, but simpler versions may not have it.
• Depending on the requirements of various ministries, the car will be equipped additional devices and functions.

• The package of the presidential car in the back of a limousine will include an armored capsule, special communications, various devices multimedia, equipment that allows you to protect your car from wiretapping, interception of information, various electronic functions for defense.
• The tires of the "Cortege" are distinguished by their ability to work even if they are shot from an automatic weapon. Limousine wheels are made in a special way and allow the vehicle to move without the participation of tires.
• The gas tank has a special design.
• Protection against attack from the air, such as drones and helicopters, is provided.
• The car will not be afraid even of machine gun shots.

Technical information "Cortege" in a new body

The technical equipment of the project is created entirely in Russia, but based on some foreign technologies. The limousine will differ as follows:

• Used single platform, allowing you to create several models based on it. Modern car companies this approach is often used: it makes it easier and cheaper to produce vehicles, while creating a constructive different bodies on the same wheelbase.
• Serious foreign companies are taking part in the development of the project. In particular, concerns such as Porsche and Bosch Engineering showed interest in it. It was they who had a hand in developing the engine for the future project. A similar engine is installed on the Porsche V8, its volume is 4.6 liters. It is worth noting that in Russian version The cubic capacity was reduced to 4.4 liters. The engine is equipped with two turbocharging systems, which increases its power to 600 hp.
• There is another engine developed by US: this is a more powerful V12. You could see the model at the Moscow Motor Show held in 2016. The volume of the power unit is 6.6 liters and the power is 860 hp. It is not yet known exactly which engine the 2018 “Cortege” project will receive; perhaps this will depend on the requests of the ministries for which the model will be assembled.
• The gearbox also has special features. It has 9 stages and the device is fully automated. Releases transmission Russian company Katya; A special feature of the transmission is the absence of a torque converter, instead of which an electric motor is used. This will allow the project vehicles to take advantage of the hybrid drive. The transmission, however, is not revolutionary new: BMW and Mercedes use similar devices.
• The speed characteristics of all models will be limited to 250 km/h, and acceleration of a heavy vehicle will occur in 7 seconds.

A little about design

You can already see the first released models and independently evaluate the appearance of the new product. Experts are actively discussing it, and there are quite heated debates.

• The final design, developed by US specialists, has already appeared.
• Externally, it is a rather massive car with a huge radiator grille, rounded shapes and brutal appearance. Interior decoration Quite strict, the interior is made of white leather, has inserts made of valuable wood.
• The center console has a built-in touchscreen.
• The engine and transmission, like the basis of different models, will not be different. Only the bodies will be different.
• The interior design will also be identical everywhere, with the exception of the version for the president; in addition, the presidential car will receive more options.
• The car will receive a large touch screen, climate control, dashboard with digital control.
• Dimensions vehicle will be as follows: 5800-6300 mm, width will be 2000-2200 mm, wheelbase - 3400-3800 mm, height - 1600-1650 mm. Dimensions depend on the specific car model.
• The accompanying equipment will have different dimensions: SUV class, body length - 5300-5700, width - 2000-2100 with a wheelbase of 3000-3300, and the height of the vehicle will be 1850-1950 mm. The bus also has impressive dimensions: it is 5800 in length, maximum width is 2100, and chassis will be 3200-3500, height depending on the modification - 1900-2200 mm.
• Pneumatic brakes for the project were developed by the Swedish company Haldex, as well as the Italian concern Brembo and the French Valeo.

In addition, a large number of leading European companies.

Project "Cortege": latest news of 2018

It is planned to launch production in the spring of 2018, so far only a few copies have been released for testing and review. The EMP-4123 sedan is planned to begin production conveyor method by the end of the year, and the minibus will appear no earlier than in 2020. All cars in the line will be seen on the roads only by the end of 2029. We can assume that the car has only one competitor so far – the Mercedes S600 Pullman.

At the beginning of November 2017, a video from real tests appeared online domestically developed- sedan Cortege ESP project (“Unified Modular Platform”). In the video you can watch a car at the Dmitrovsky training ground of NITSIAMT, located in the Moscow region.

Presidential limousine EMP-41231SB Aurus photo 2018. http://site/

At the end of March, photos of the “Cortege” prototypes, which were being tested in Sweden, appeared online. The published video shows a pre-production version: despite the camouflage, you can see that the car has quite serious differences in design and proportions relative to the March prototypes.

The “Cortege” project was launched at the end of 2012. Its financing comes from the federal budget, and NAMI acts as the general contractor. Five cars are being developed as part of the project: the EMP-4123 sedan, the EMP-4124 SUV, the EMP-4125 minibus and the EMP-412311 (regular) and MP-41231SB (armored) limousines. All of them will be all-wheel drive.

side photo

On May 7, 2018, Vladimir Putin arrived at the inauguration ceremony as President of Russia in a limousine of the Unified Modular Platform project (“Cortege”). Aurus cars were named after the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. The limousine is completely called Aurus Senat limousine.

Only a limousine was used at the inauguration. The EMP-4123 sedan and EMP-4125 minibus, which were recently photographed in a covered form on the streets of Moscow, did not participate in the ceremony.

photo of the limousine interior

Specifications

“Cortege” limousines will receive a 6.6-liter gasoline V12 with direct injection and twin turbocharging, that is, in fact, four turbines. Unit power is 860 hp, torque is 1000 Nm. Previously, this engine could be seen live at last year’s auto show in Moscow. The power units will be paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission of domestic production.

Photo of the EMP-4123 sedan. Project Cortege 2017 - 2018. http://site/

The press service of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that the EMP-41231SB Aurus limousine is equipped with a 4.4-liter V8 (like the EMP-4123 sedan; double turbocharging, power - 598 hp).

photo of the EMP-4124 SUV

The design institute is developing engines for the project together with German Porsche Engineering. For civilian versions cars will have 8-cylinder gasoline engines. Presumably, the first copies will be 4.6-liter Porsches, and later the design institute will start producing its own 4.4-liter units.

The engine of the EMP-41231SB Aurus limousine is combined with a 9-speed gearbox automatic transmission Russian-developed KATE R932 gears. In addition to the “original” number of stages, a feature of the R932 is the absence of a traditional torque converter: the torque here is transmitted through four planetary gears. The absence of a transformer increases the efficiency of the gearbox, while smooth shifting is ensured by short-term slipping of special friction elements. The KATE R932 gearbox is capable of “digesting” torque up to 1000 Nm.

The engine and gearbox are combined with an electric motor, that is, the transmission is hybrid. All EMP vehicles have all-wheel drive.

May 8, 2018 automotive expert Vyacheslav Subbotin said that the limousine has an armored capsule for the president, which can withstand serious weapons: both small arms and powerful ones, almost thirty caliber, and will work against mines. If suddenly the car hits a mine, then those who are in it will be alive. the car remains connected under any conditions thanks to equipment that “other countries cannot achieve.” It, as the expert pointed out, is based on Russian satellites and integrated into the car. The body made of armor plates is a completely Russian development. “The design [of the body] is good for bending, good for torsion, a lot of very strong boron-containing metals were used, because the car turned out to be almost seven meters long, very serious,” added Subbotin.

Video

First video about the Cortege project:

Video about Aurus Senat limousine:

Price

Orders from private consumers for Aurus cars developed within the framework of the “Unified Modular Platform” (“Cortege”) project will begin to be accepted in late August - early September of this year. The Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov reported this to the press.

At the same time, sales of Aurus cars will start in the first quarter of 2019. At the initial stage, Manturov noted, a sedan and a limousine will be offered.

They also plan to switch Russian officials from foreign cars to Aurus.

To date, only the first batch of cars has been assembled - 16 copies. In addition to the limousine for the first person, these are EMP-4123 sedans and one EMP-4125 minibus. All these cars were transferred to the Kremlin garage Federal service security

Prices for Aurus cars will start from 10 million rubles.

The “Cortege” project cannot be called a “project of the century”, but it is a very ambitious program (the planned costs alone cost more than 12 billion rubles, with 3.61 billion rubles directly from the budget) creating a whole family of cars designed for top officials of the state.

In today’s review, we will look at what the “Cortege” project is, what stage it is at today, and whether its creation is necessary.

The idea of ​​​​creating the project goes back to 2012, when, after the Russian President announced that domestic auto industry starts producing limousines, and it was decided to start this project. The “Cortege” program was developed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade with the participation of the Central Research Automotive and Automotive Institute(US). Initially, it was planned that a representative car produced by ZIL would be created for the President - a highly protected limousine, which would be developed with clean slate, and for the rest of the officials, as before, Chaika.

There is also an intention to entrust the production of some cars to the reviving Russo-Balt and even the sports brand Marussia. However, the most important concept of the “Cortege” is that the cars will have to appear on the public market (of course in a slightly modified configuration). At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that in the long term until 2020 domestic cars could occupy about 20% of the global luxury car market!

Well, the plans are Napoleonic, but only time will tell what will actually happen. Only one thing can be said with confidence: the President of a world-class state is simply obliged to ride special car, produced by his country. Moreover, the status requires that the limousine was not converted serial model, even if such processing will be very significant. Don't believe me? Let's see how the leading world powers feel about this, what their heads use when traveling, and what is contained in their vehicle fleets.

For Elizabeth II in 2002, two were built to special order in the UK luxury Bentley State Limousine, based on the premium version of Arnage. However, unlike the latter, the royal cars are much taller, wider and longer. The protection of these cars is also suitable for their purpose: the royal person is protected by a set of complex armor, a sealed interior, and systems to counter attacks using various weapons.

Since 2009, Barack Obama has used exclusively the presidential Cadillac limousine when traveling around the country. This car only superficially resembles the serial DTS - all-wheel drive base from a light truck carries a heavily armored sealed body, which has a closed life support cycle, anti-chemical, antibacterial protection systems, and also has systems to counter an armed attack.

The general secretary of the company also has an original limousine. Party of China - he has at his disposal the “Red Flag” released in 2010 - HongQi CA7600L. Note that the Chinese did not “reinvent the wheel” - the appearance of the government limousine echoes the appearance of its predecessor, the CA770, released in 1963. Note that the CA770 is a copy of two domestic “member carriers” at the same time - ZIL-111 and GAZ-13.

The French, who never tire of boasting about everything that is produced in their country, have received another reason for pride - when planning a trip, Francois Hollande can choose from armored and equipped with all the characteristics of a presidential class Renault systems VelSatis, Citroen C6, as well as Peugeot 607. Despite the fact that in the garage of the French president there was a place even for the rare Citroen SM, produced in 1972, maintained in proper condition, the head of state most often chooses the Citroen DS5.

Relatively recently he acquired a limousine of his own production and the head South Korea- since 2010 are at his disposal armored vehicles, based on the Hyundai Equus.

At the same time, the Russian President’s motorcade today includes exclusively foreign cars. The column is accompanied in front and behind by police cars - most often Mercedes E class. The head of the country is located in the middle of the column, his armored Mercedes limousine S600 Pullman Guard in some cases is accompanied by an indistinguishable appearance"double". On the sides presidential motorcade accompanied by S-Class Mercedes, in the middle of the procession are modified Mercedes Geländewagen, in which personal security is located. This is followed by several VW Multivans, or Mercedes Sprinter- with special communications, medical equipment and weapons. If the Cortege project is successfully implemented, each of these vehicles will be replaced by a domestically produced vehicle.

Let us also remember the motorcade of the only president of the USSR: the armored ZIL-41052 was accompanied by GAZ-14 and ZIL-117 cars.

Considering the above, it is obvious that the “Cortege” project is a completely relevant development - if leaders around the world ride in limousines of their own production, why can’t our reviving auto industry create a presidential limousine? Moreover, all the necessary prerequisites for this now exist.

Before the approval of the Cortege project, eminent domestic automakers tried to independently launch the production of government limousines - first of all, we are talking about GAZ and ZIL. GAZ, together with Atlant-Delta, developed ceremonial convertibles for the Russian Defense Ministry, and also prepared its own version of the presidential armored limousine. ZIL, starting in 2004, developed the “Monolith” - an unarmored limousine. When the Cortege project is first approved (without making changes, which we will talk about later), ZIL receives the actual status of an assembly site, GAZ receives the functions of an “atelier”.

The main facilities for the creation and assembly of presidential limousines were to be located at the new production facility of MosAvtoZIL OJSC. It should be noted that the Moscow government, together with Sberbank, allocated 10 billion rubles for the technical re-equipment of the enterprise, with the plan full load there are no capacities yet (except for the production of cars within the framework of the Cortege project, it was planned that the enterprise would begin to produce some foreign cars). GAZ will be responsible for the production and fine-tuning of special versions of Cortege cars - for this, about 1.1 billion rubles must be invested in the project. Considerable expenses are also allocated to the Russian Technologies Corporation - it must invest at least 8 billion rubles in launching production capacities.

The initial project considered the German diesel RED A03 (6.0L, V12), which was created by the Russian scientist V. Raikhlin, as the base power unit for the government limousine. It is noteworthy that today this motor It is installed on light aircraft, but it can also be adapted for the needs of the automotive industry. While there is no single position regarding the configuration of a limousine with a wheelbase, electronics, security systems, as well as other required components, both domestic and foreign suppliers are being considered. Let us note that the amount included in the initial project for these needs is about 1 billion rubles. At the same time, world-famous manufacturers budget 5-7 times more, in addition to having their own developments in stock.

The body of the limousine should be created with the direct participation of VAZ engineers who participated in the development of the VAZ-2116 C; the prototype of the transmission could be the transmission from the KATE company.

The start of production of all vehicles of the Cortege project is planned for 2017, with an expected number of vehicles of all types produced annually at 40,000 units (including commercial versions). The most exclusive, of course, will be the ZILs - no more than 200 of them will be collected annually. The largest number of Russo-Balt minivans and crossovers will have to be produced: about 20,000 annually.

Note that the development of a new family presidential cars provides that at the very soon the head of state (until the production of limousines is established) will switch to modernized ZIL limousines, which have already begun to be assembled in Nizhny Novgorod.

In light of the upcoming assembly of the presidential limousine, we looked at the actual state of both main factories and which of the developments they managed to preserve. Let's start with GAZ: until 1988, in a workshop specializing in the production of Seagulls Gorky plant produced about 150 cars annually. In 1988 the workshop was liquidated, including documentation and equipment. In 2010, Atlant-Delta was located on its territory - owned by O. Deripaska (like GAZ itself) since 2000, engaged in the restoration of rare cars. Note that the company is headed by Yu. Kruzhilin, who was once the head of the Kremlin special garage, and among the Atlant-Delta contracts there is even an update of the ZIL-41044 fleet for the Russian Defense Ministry (despite the fact that the manufacturer itself, KAMAZ, VAZ, GAZ took part in the tender) .

Despite receiving a direct order from the Moscow Region, the cars were created by Atlant-Delta with GAZ money. In 2009, after completing all the necessary tests, the cars were assigned the ZIL-41041 AMG index. It is possible that the production of three convertibles was the main reason why the Kremlin wanted to see GAZ as one of the participants in the Cortege project. Today, work on the limousine is in an active stage - Atlant-Delta is now called Group-Master. Under the leadership of the former chief designer of GAZ passenger cars, A. Gorchakov, the company created its own production (for which GAZ allocated more than half a billion rubles), the number of employees already exceeds 100 people, and there are about 25 projects in current development. It is planned that annually the Master Group will assemble 12 units of presidential limousines.

As for ZIL, by the end of the 70s the company produced annually up to 25 government vehicles. Today, there are just over 70 people left in the executive car production staff, who mainly assemble collectible models costing 250-300 thousand dollars. from vehicle kits preserved from Soviet times. Over the past few years, a total of 8 cars have been assembled. Deserves special attention own development company - the unarmored Monolith limousine, which, unfortunately, did not make it into the “Cortege” project.

The interior design was developed by domestic specialists, dashboard and some other auto systems were manufactured by the Avtopribor plant. Among the foreign components of ZIL's own limousine, we note the elements of the ventilation system borrowed from Audi, as well as the seats of the Mercedes S W140. The main disadvantage of Monolit is its high cost, which makes it quite difficult to find buyers for it.

The project is gradually approaching actual implementation: it recently became known that all-terrain vehicles for the Cortege will be produced at UAZ, and the Sollers company will be responsible for their production. Production capacity should be about 40,000 copies of government SUVs annually. The prototype of the SUV for the “Cortege” project will appear in 2015-2016. Sollers also wants to entrust the production of a minibus on the same platform, but final information regarding the manufacturer of sedans and minivans is not yet available. Among the companies vying for this status are GAZ, ZIL, VW.

The Minister of Industrial Policy of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov, claims that a “full-scale demonstrator” of the project was presented at the beginning of 2014, and during the year the composition of car manufacturers for the Cortege project will be finally determined. At the same time, the decision to determine production sites will be made in 2015. The first car of the project (presumably a sedan) must pass state tests by 2017, by the same time work on the design and certification of a minibus and SUV should be completed. The full implementation of the Cortege project should be completed by 2018.

It is gratifying that in addition to the planned progress towards the production of cars for the presidential escort, the Cortege project is attracting new partners, including worldwide famous manufacturers. For example, just a few weeks ago it became known that Porsche Engineering would take part in the project - it was assigned the role of an engineering integrator. In practice, this means that the company will be responsible for adapting the models created within the project to production. True, it is not yet known how much the project budget will have to be increased in order to attract the Porsche division.

In addition to attracting new partners, the project is losing its former participants - Marussia Motors, which was supposed to develop commercial versions of the limousine, sedans and minivans of the project, has ceased its work.