PETALING JAYA: The Russian government has presented His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, with an Aurus Senat, a luxury Rolls-Royce-like limousine.
A post on His Majesty's official Facebook page showed the King standing next to the car and called it a symbol of the close ties between Malaysia and Russia.
The post said that the car was rarely owned outside Russia and was also not widely exported to the international market.
“Aurus is the official vehicle brand of Russia’s top leadership and is frequently used by President Vladimir Putin during official state functions and important diplomatic events.
"Earlier, His Majesty visited the Special Purpose Garage Museum, which houses a collection of more than 50 unique cars and motorcycles in Moscow today (May 10). During the visit, His Majesty was also presented with a briefing on the collections displayed at the museum.
"The handover ceremony for His Majesty’s Aurus Senat also took place at the museum,” it said.
The Senat is made wholly in Russia under new luxury car brand Aurus, a name that’s derived from two parts: aurum (Latin for gold) and ‘rus’ for Russia. The Rolls-Royce-like vehicle was developed by a group of Russian carmakers led by the Russian Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automobile Engines Institute (NAMI), under a project called Kortezh.
The limousine was first seen on a public outing in May when Putin took it on a televised drive. The Senat was used instead of his usual Mercedes-Benz at his inauguration for his fourth presidential term, imparting a patriotic message of Russian self-sufficiency.
