Skip to main content

And what will power President Putin’s next limo? Why a V12 Porsche engine, of course

will putins limo powered porsche russia president design proposal 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
A new report finds Porsche Engineering has been contracted by the Russian government to develop a brand-new, turbocharged V12 engine for president Vladimir Putin’s upcoming limousines.

Concrete details are few and far between but Russian media is reporting the twelve-cylinder’s displacement will vary between 6.0- and 6.6-liters. Likely fed with two large turbochargers, the mill will be tuned to generate over 800 horsepower in its most powerful configuration.

The V12 will be modular, too. The Kremlin asked Porsche to make sure the engine can easily spawn eight-, six- and even four-cylinder variants if the need arises. The 800-horsepower variant of the 12 will be used to power Putin’s personal limousine while the smaller variants will be fitted to a variety of planned off-shots including a SUV, a minivan, a crossover and even a smaller sedan.

Related: 911 to go all turbo? 

All variants of the engine will be produced in a factory called ZMZ that has been churning out buses, vans and passengers since well before the fall of the Soviet empire. Russian authorities have stressed the engine will need to be manufactured using only components sourced locally.

Porsche Engineering signed on as a consultant with state-backed NAMI (the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engine Institute) last year but it has not revealed if the rumors regarding the V12 are true. We’ll have to wait a bit to find out as the first car isn’t scheduled to be introduced until 2017.

Editors' Recommendations

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Alpine sale: Up to $160 off speakers and subs for your car
alpine speaker sale crutchfield march 2024 car and amp setup on table

If you’re looking to kit your car out with some superior speakers or a subwoofer, Crutchfield is the place to go today. Right now, there’s a huge sale on Alpine subwoofers and speakers with nearly 50 different items forming the sale. As there are so many options, the best idea is to hit the button below to see what’s around. If you don’t know where to start though, read on while we take you through some great items in the sale.

What to shop for in the Alpine sale
Buying the best aftermarket car speakers are important for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road and is currently dealing with a mediocre sound system. One good starting point in the Alpine sale is the 2-way speakers for $104 instead of $130. You get two 2-way speakers with a polypropylene/glass fiber/mica woofer with a specialized rubber surround. There’s a one-inch silk dome tweeter with speakers able to handle up to 80 watts RMS with 240 watts peak power. The grilles aren’t included but the factor ones should be fine for most purposes.

Read more
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more