Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Russia's Putin "unhappy" with limo, Marussia and GAZ working on alternatives]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/27/russias-putin-unhappy-with-limo-marussia-and-gaz-working-on/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/27/russias-putin-unhappy-with-limo-marussia-and-gaz-working-on/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/27/russias-putin-unhappy-with-limo-marussia-and-gaz-working-on/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



A few years ago Russian president Dmitri Medvedev decided he wanted officials to be chauffeured in Russian limousines, not the German executive sedans everyone had become accustomed to (such as the Mercedes-Benz pictured above). Naturally, that meant turning to Russia's own ZiL to create a litter worthy of a plutocrat and glorious Russian history. The plan had two big problems, the first being that ZiL stopped making limos in 1991 and was only producing trucks and armored military vehicles.

But that didn't stop the party. The orders to ZiL were to create something powered by a V8 that was able to carry three people and reach 130 miles per hour. It must also represent "the best traditions of Soviet limousine building." Zil got to work, spending years and who knows how many rubles to create the armored sedan it unveiled last Fall: the ZiL-4112P, powered by a 7.7-liter V8 that reportedly has more than 400 horsepower. When comparing the 4112P to Obama's presidential conveyance, ZiL's director of limousine production said, "If you look at what Obama drives around in its a scary submarine, no kind of aesthetic, it's awful to look at."

No matter that, the car has one more big problem: President Putin is apparently unhappy with it. The president hasn't publicly disclosed his issues with the car, but the Moscow Times said that Putin "was not pleased" by the looks of the 4112P and noted that the car "needed adjustments." ZiL's response to the report was to say that the president wasn't actually given the 4112P - which, if true, would mean they gave him a presidential limo they haven't revealed to the public instead of the one they threw a giant party for and used to demonstrate the comparative ugliness of its American counterpart.

The mess has left an opening for GAZ and Marussia, with both companies working on alternatives to whatever is on offer from ZiL. GAZ is building something based on the Audi A8 that it says will be ready by 2014, Marussia's "completely original model" will arrive in 2015.

Russia's Putin "unhappy" with limo, Marussia and GAZ working on alternatives originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4112-plimousineputinrussiavladimir putinzilzil-4112pWed, 27 Feb 2013 18:02:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20475851/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/02/27/russias-putin-unhappy-with-limo-marussia-and-gaz-working-on/20475851/article-detail.xml 20475851 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/vladimir-putin-limo-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/vladimir-putin-limo-628.jpg <![CDATA[Putin's Army show their support (among other things) with Russian carwash]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/28/putins-army-show-their-support-among-other-things-with-russia/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/28/putins-army-show-their-support-among-other-things-with-russia/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/28/putins-army-show-their-support-among-other-things-with-russia/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Putin's Army carwash

Russian premier Vladimir Putin is known as a brutishly dictatorial politician. But that's not all he's known for. He's also a consummate lady's man, and a lover of Russian cars.

Now, his two passions have crossed paths in Moscow, where a group of nubile young Putin supporters called 'Putin's Army' took to the streets, offering free car washes to drivers of domestic wheels.

Plenty of Volgas and Ladas stopped along the way, and Russia's English-language RT news channel has the report. The only thing more entertaining than the bikini-clad girls soaping up the cars is the stilted debate that followed between the network's anchors. Follow the jump to watch the footage and see for yourself - just be aware that the video may be Not Safe For Work.

Continue reading Putin's Army show their support (among other things) with Russian carwash

Putin's Army show their support (among other things) with Russian carwash originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>army of putincar washcarwashmoscowputinputins armyrussiavideovladimir putinThu, 28 Jul 2011 19:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20003261/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/07/28/putins-army-show-their-support-among-other-things-with-russia/20003261/article-detail.xml 20003261 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/07/russia-carwash_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/07/russia-carwash.jpg <![CDATA[Renault F1: Sponsored by... Lada!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/05/renault-f1-sponsored-by-lada/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/05/renault-f1-sponsored-by-lada/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/05/renault-f1-sponsored-by-lada/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Renault R30 F1 car
Renault R30 F1 car - click above for high-res image gallery

Renault F1's got itself a new sponsor: Lada. The Russian automaker's logo will appear on the R30 racing cars, as seen above, as well as the driver and crew uniforms. The announcement was made at a meeting held this Monday in Moscow, attended by Vladimir Putin, Carlos Ghosn, new Renault F1 pilot Vitaly Petrov, and a gaggle of other functionaries.

If you think the Lada sponsorship has anything to do with Renault F1 bringing the Russian rookie on board as the full-time #2 driver alongside lead guy Robert Kubica, you're right. It pretty much has everything to do with it, as both Genii Capital (the majority stakeholder in Renault F1) and Renault-Nissan (25% stakeholders in AvtoVaz, Lada's parent) actively work to advance their interests in Russia.

Petrov's hiring is part of a broader overture toward Russia (on Monday, Ghosn came right out and said that Petrov's nationality played a role in his selection), and the Lada sponsorship is obviously a reciprocal act. And it may not be the last one, either, as Putin indicated during Monday's meeting that Russia (i.e. Lada) could increase its sponsorship involvement in the future.

Clearly, the most important takeaway from all this, however, is that the idea of a shirtless Vladimir Putin, watching the Monaco GP from the deck of a Typhoon-class sub moored among the superyachts in Monaco Harbor, no longer seems completely outlandish.


Gallery: 2010 Renault R30


[Source: Renault F1, Government of the Russian Federation via Autoblog UK, Crash.net]

Renault F1: Sponsored by... Lada! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avtovazcarlos ghosnCarlosGhosngenii capitalGeniiCapitalghosnladapetrovputinrenault f1renault-nissanRenaultF1sponsorvitaly petrovVitalyPetrovvladimir petrovvladimir putinVladimirPutinFri, 05 Mar 2010 10:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19384247/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/03/05/renault-f1-sponsored-by-lada/19384247/article-detail.xml 19384247 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/renaultf1lada630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/renaultf1lada630.jpg <![CDATA[REPORT: GAZ confirms interest in Opel]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/12/gaz-confirms-interest-in-opel/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/12/gaz-confirms-interest-in-opel/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/12/gaz-confirms-interest-in-opel/#commentsFiled under: ,



Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin himself has said that at the behest of Magna, Russia's GAZ conglomerate is considering taking a 30% interest in Opel. GAZ, though, has made it clear that it does not want to run or own Opel - what it really seems to want is to have cars to produce at its factory in Nizhny Novgorod. Under such a proposal, Automotive News reports that Magna would take 20% of Opel.

The German authorities are now weighing the offers from Magna/GAZ and Fiat. GM is said to prefer a single bidder, in the guise of Fiat, while Germany was recently said to prefer Magna's proposal because of promises to keep production in Germany. If, however, GAZ's real desire is to increase its Russian production abilities, if it were to take a larger stake in Opel than Magna, there will undoubtedly be conflicts to resolve. And that's before the remaining 50% partners' needs and wishes are taken into account.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

REPORT: GAZ confirms interest in Opel originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fiatgazmagnamergers and acquisitionsMergersAndAcquisitionsoleg deripaskaOlegDeripaskaopelputinrussiaTue, 12 May 2009 19:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1543771/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/05/12/gaz-confirms-interest-in-opel/1543771/article-detail.xml 1543771 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/05/vlad-putin-rally-car-autovaz-getty-afp-580_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/05/vlad-putin-rally-car-autovaz-getty-afp-580.jpg <![CDATA[Putin Power: Even Russian automakers to get a bailout?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/31/putin-power-even-russian-automakers-to-get-a-bailout/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/31/putin-power-even-russian-automakers-to-get-a-bailout/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/31/putin-power-even-russian-automakers-to-get-a-bailout/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Lada C Concept - Click above for a high-res gallery

According to The Detroit News, Avtovaz, Russia's largest car maker and the home of Lada, is in line for government help. The Russian car industry is faring even more poorly than its counterpart in the U.S., with a 60% drop in sales being predicted. To assist Avtovaz with payments to creditors, a lifeline of more than 20 billion rubles is being discussed (upwards of $588 million USD), which would be close to Avtovaz's total debt to suppliers and banks.

It is also being reported that Avtovaz is looking to sign an investment memorandum for 90 billion rubles ($2.7 billion USD) with a cartel of state-run banks. Compared to the sums being doled out in the U.S. that's not a lada money (sorry, had to...), but if Avtovaz can get the agreements signed, it should be in better standing.

Gallery: Lada C Concept


[Source: The Detroit News]

Putin Power: Even Russian automakers to get a bailout? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto industryAutoIndustryavtovazearningsfinancialsladaputinrussiavladimir putinVladimirPutinTue, 31 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1502652/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/03/31/putin-power-even-russian-automakers-to-get-a-bailout/1502652/article-detail.xml 1502652 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/avtovaz_bailout_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/avtovaz_bailout.jpg <![CDATA[President Putin fixes Russia's traffic congestion, for about an hour]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/14/president-putin-fixes-russias-traffic-congestion-for-about-an/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/14/president-putin-fixes-russias-traffic-congestion-for-about-an/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/14/president-putin-fixes-russias-traffic-congestion-for-about-an/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Here's one way to clear traffic jams - become the Russian President. The above picture shows you how a typical Moscow street looks at pretty much any time of day. It's bumper-to-bumper traffic as far as the eye can see. But to paraphrase Mel Brooks in History of the World, Part I, "It's good to be the Pres." When President Putin has to get somewhere in a hurry, they make sure he can arrive in a timely fashion. The following photo shows how the same streets look when his Mercedes Limo and G-Wagen entourage comes idling through. It's a pretty dramatic difference, as you can see. And with no bystanders, there's virtually no chance someone will point and snicker if you happen to break down. Food for thought, Secret Service.

[Source: English Russia]

President Putin fixes Russia's traffic congestion, for about an hour originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>putinrussiaRussian PresidentRussianPresidenttraffic jamTrafficJamVladimir PutinVladimirPutinThu, 14 Jun 2007 17:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/917560/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/06/14/president-putin-fixes-russias-traffic-congestion-for-about-an/917560/article-detail.xml 917560 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/putin2_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/putin2.jpg -1 2