In addition to the presidential limousine, domestic producers are expected to manufacture luxury vehicles for state officials and the mass market as part of the Cortege project, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
The platform and the undercarriage on the three lines will be uniform, he said.
ZiL and GAZ are the two likely contenders for producing the vehicles, he said.
Manturov said the project is being carried out with a view toward serial production to ensure that it will be cost-effective.
? "That's why we asked ZiL specialists, experts from the NAMI auto institute and Marusya Motors to work out variations for the creation of luxury cars, which will involve government spending, while for private investors it'd be more profitable to invest their own funds," Manturov said.
"Nevertheless, a final decision on what brand the new model will be released under still has not been made. There are also no firm deadlines for the project's realization," he said. "But we do not intend to put off these tasks for a long time. We'll particularize what we have on offer."
He said he hoped that by the middle of this year the government will understand what scenario should be used.
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