Currently, it has an outstanding order for a BMW worth 3.7 million rubles ($116,000).
The prosecutors are seeking to buy one of the flagships of the Bavarian auto industry, the BMW 740Li, according to an order posted on state web site Zakupki.gov.ru. The car should be this year’s model in black sapphire, with a Dakota leather interior, “an entertainment system for passengers in the backseat,” and a 326 horsepower engine, the order says.
The auction is scheduled to take place Sept. 30, although bids to supply the vehicle are only being accepted until Sept. 15, with a maximum price of 3.7 million rubles.
The Russian government’s catalogue price for an entry-level BMW 740Li is 4.47 million rubles. But the features specified in the order would cost 5 million rubles to 6 million rubles for a 2009 model, before any corporate discounts, said Alexander Sokol, chief executive of authorized BMW dealer Avtodom. “That’s why we’re not interested in submitting a bid.”
The prosecutors could get a 2008 model with basic features for the specified price, which sell for about 3.5 million rubles, Sokol said.
It was not immediately clear how the car would be used. A Prosecutor General’s Office spokesman declined to comment when reached, requesting that questions be sent in writing. No one answered the telephones listed in the order.
“In most cases, the BMW 7 Series is used for the heads of agencies and their deputies,” said Alexander Stroganov, chief executive of the State Orders Placement Center.
Prosecutor General Yury Chaika and his deputies currently travel “in government-class Mercedes,” said a source close to the prosecutor’s office. The press service declined to comment on the matter.
Last year, prosecutors ordered just such a car: a B6/B7-armored Mercedes-Benz S600L. The prosecutor’s office was prepared to pay the going price of 21.6 million rubles, but no one submitted a bid to supply the vehicle by Nov. 24, and the offer was annulled.
The Prosecutor General’s Office later said the order was placed by mistake.
State agencies typically renew their fleets every two years, or at most every three, Stroganov said. The government cars have long life spans, but they are replaced after reaching a certain minimum number of kilometers traveled — usually far less than the car is capable of, he said.
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