Aurus Limousine: Firm behind Putin's luxurious gift to Kim uses parts imported from South Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un showcased their strengthened anti-Western alliance by driving around Pyongyang in a Russian-made Aurus limousine last week. The luxury sedan, unveiled in 2018, was meant to symbolise Russia's domestic capabilities and decreased reliance on imported technology and goods.
However, customs records reveal that the company responsible for building the Aurus limousine relies on millions of dollars worth of imported parts, many of which come from South Korea, a country Kim has labelled as his nation's "primary foe", according to an exclusive report from the Reuters.These imports highlight Russia's continued dependence on Western technology as it navigates Western efforts to isolate it from global supply chains as a consequence of its invasion of Ukraine.
According to customs records reviewed by Reuters, between 2018 and 2023, Russia imported equipment and components valued at a minimum of $34 million for the assembly of Aurus cars and motorcycles. This included nearly $15.5 million worth of car body parts, sensors, programmable controllers, switches, welding equipment, and other components imported from South Korea, as well as parts from China, India, Turkey, Italy, and other EU countries. Even after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, foreign supplies for Aurus continued, with goods worth almost $16 million, including $5 million produced in South Korea, being imported.
The Aurus sedan, developed by Russian state-owned research institute NAMI in collaboration with Russian carmaker Sollers, which has since sold its stake, launched official production in Russia's Tatarstan region in 2021. Additional production is set to begin in St Petersburg later this year at Toyota's former factory, following the exodus of many foreign carmakers from the Russian market since the invasion. This departure has left a gap that Chinese producers have quickly filled, exposing Russia's limited domestic production capacity.