ELABUGA, May 31. /TASS/. Production of the luxury Aurus Senat car has been launched at the Ford Sollers plant in Elabuga, Tatarstan, TASS reports on Monday. President Vladimir Putin took part in the opening ceremony by videoconference.

The minimum price of Aurus Senat cars will be 18 mln rubles ($245,000). As earlier reported, the first batch of cars from the production line will come with a high level of options and a price of 22 mln rubles ($300,000).

Shipments are planned to start in June, the Kremlin says. The majority of Aurus vehicles are planned to be sold on the international markets, mainly in the Middle East.

The Elabuga plant is also planning to produce the Aurus Komendant SUV.

Aurus is the first Russian luxury car brand created from scratch by specialists from the NAMI design institute. Aurus is owned by NAMI (63.5%), UAE’s Tawazun (36%), and Sollers (0.5%).

Luxury cars to be exported 

The Kremlin's press service also noticed that "the greater portion of Russian luxury car brand Aurus will be exported". 

"A significant portion of produced Aurus cars is planned for sale on international markets, in countries of the Middle East in the first instance. The penetration of Chinese and Western European markers is planned in a longer term," the press service says.

Aurus is the first Russian luxury car brand created from scratch by NAMI design institute specialists. Aurus shareholders are NAMI (63.5%), UAE’s Tawazun (36%) and Sollers (0.5%).