Russian luxury vehicle manufacturer Aurus hoping to make impact in UAE
A major UAE investor is behind the release of a new Soviet-inspired luxury car from the state-owned Russian car manufacturer Aurus. UAE based Tawazun Holdings has put up 460m AED in the development of the vehicle, with the hope that they can make inroads into the luxury car market in the UAE. 
A glamorous presentation was delivered at the Moscow motor show, with audiences getting a first look at the Aurus Senat sedan and the luxury Aurus Senat limousine.
The designers of the new vehicles took inspiration from the Russian-made ceremonial cars that leaders of the Soviet Union appeared in at high profile events. At the time, the luxury vehicles that have inspired the new cars were only manufactured for high ranking officials.
Vadim Pereverzev, the head of the design team, claimed the car manufacturer is hoping to make inroads into the share of the market that is currently occupied by Rolls Royce and Mercedes-Benz.
The announcement from Aurus comes only days after the arms manufacturer Kalashnikov made waves with its announcement of a new electric car with a retro Soviet-inspired design.
The design of the Aurus Limousine, featuring a very large front chrome grille, has been influenced by the ZIS luxury vehicle that was made specifically for Stalin.
The Russian state enterprise NAMI, the major stakeholder in Aurus, has worked with Russian automotive giant Sollers to design and manufacture the new vehicles. Funding for the project from the Russian taxpayers has reached around 12 billion roubles.
Aureus has initially targeted wealthy Russian citizens, but is hoping to compete with western luxury vehicles in the international market.
The price of the vehicles have yet to be announced, but is believed to be slightly more expensive than Mercedes-Benz and cheaper than Rolls Royce.
Tawazun Holdings was created in 2007 and is based in Abu Dhabi. The company was founded to forge strategic industrial partnerships and investments to help improve the manufacturing industry in the UAE. The focus of the company is spread across the automotive, defence, technology, and the aerospace industries.
