Here's why PM Modi, Putin took a ride in Toyota Fortuner, rather than high-end, armoured SUV

Here's why PM Modi, Putin took a ride in Toyota Fortuner, rather than a high-end, armoured SUV

In a rare gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reached the airport to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived on a two-day visit to attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

After Putin received a grand welcome at the Palam airport, the two leaders hopped on a Toyota Fortuner to go 7 Lok Kalyan Marg for a private dinner.

The leaders' not getting in a usual Range Rover or Mercedes caught attention and raised a lot of curiosity. So, why was the car picked?

According to sources, as cited by CNN-News18, “The elite Special Protection Group (SPG) prefers non-predictable and neutral vehicles for movements involving two heads of state. The idea is to reduce pattern recognition and threat exposure. A neutral Toyota is easier to modify, armour, and integrate into mixed convoys."

Whenever a foreign head of state goes with the Indian PM in one vehicle, SPG takes complete operational control. “In this situation, a neutral platform gives them flexibility. Sources say for a high-value target like Putin, who faces global threat, SPG and Russian Federal Protection Service or FSO agreed on maximum discretion, minimum exposure," sources further told News18.

The car, which had a Maharashtra registration number (MH01EN5795), was a Toyota Fortuner Sigma 4 MT, classified as a motor car under Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms and runs on diesel. It was registered on April 24, 2024, making it one year and seven months old, with a fitness certificate valid until April 23, 2039 and a PUCC certificate valid until June 25, 2026.

While the convoy of a leader or a head of state includes high-end, heavily armoured vehicles, support cars such as Fortuners and Innovas are added for operational flexibility.