Putin: All Russian officials should switch from foreign cars to Russian vehicles

All Russian officials should drive domestic cars, President Vladimir Putin said.

According to the President, when officials start using products of the Russian automotive industry, the quality of those products will improve. Therefore, there should be no purchases of foreign cars for officials, Putin added.

The Russian AvtoVAZ Concern presented a new Lada Aura model that can be used for the needs of officials and members of the parliament. The new car is based on Lada Vesta sedan, but has a large leather upholstery interior. The vehicle comes complete with a premium audio system. The price of the new car will be "significantly higher” than two million rubles (about $21,300). The production of Lada Aura can be launched in 2024 provided sufficient support from the state, the company said.

No more Mercedes – Moskvich and Lada instead

Earlier, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin suggested Russian MPs and officials should switch to Russian-made Moskvich and Lada vehicles. Domestic cars have become better lately, Volodin said, adding that making a different choice is impermissible today.

The head of the Ministry of Finance, Anton Siluanov, said that in order to switch to domestic cars one needs to introduce appropriate conditions into the procedure for concluding public contracts. The Ministry of Finance is ready to switch to the use of Russian vehicles first, he added.

State Duma Vice Speaker Vladislav Davankov suggested selling officials' foreign cars (produced in unfriendly countries), at an auction. The auction revenue could be used to purchase cars from Russian automakers with less than 50 percent foreign participation, he said.

Russia should stop buying foreign cars for government agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that one should stop purchasing foreign-made cars for ministries and government departments, RIA Novosti reports.

Making an emphasis on foreign vehicles should be "absolutely excluded”, and all officials should switch to domestic cars. Such vehicles will be "not that fancy", but there is nothing wrong about it, Putin said.

"All our wonderful bureaucrats, they should understand that we need to strive for the development of domestic brands, domestic cars, and other domestic products. Improving the quality of life should be aimed at this aspect in the first place," Putin stressed.

One should not abandon supplies from foreign countries, the president said, but essential things should be focused on domestic manufacturers first and foremost, he added.

Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko announced her readiness to exchange a foreign car for a Russian one. She praised an AvtoVAZ car model and said that she would like to drive a Lada immediately.