Mercedes has unveiled the new Popemobile to Pope Francis. It is based on the new electric Mercedes G-Class, is hand-built, and has 587 PS.
Mercedes has been supplying cars to the Vatican for 94 years and the last 45 years, the Popemobile has been based on the Mercedes G-Class. Now, for the first time, the Popemobile will have electric propulsion being developed based on the new electric Mercedes G-Class.
Mercedes CEO, Ola Kallenius, Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Sales and Marketing, Marc Langenbrinck, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italy and the development team handed over the new Popemobile to the Pope in a private ceremony yesterday at the Vatican in front of St Peter’s Basilica.
The Pope will travel in the new electric Popemobile for the 2025 Jubilee, an event that takes place every 25 years and during which millions of pilgrims are expected to flock to Rome.
The new Popemobile is a Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology adapted for the Pope’s needs. The roof has been cut and the B-pillar has been modified resulting in a different profile from the G-Class. A superstructure has been fitted, more aerodynamic than the old Papamobiles, and in bad weather a separate hardtop offers protection for the occupants.At the rear, the door on the left side has been dropped and only the door on the right side has been retained, which has been redesigned to open in reverse to allow easy access to the rear area. Instead of the tailgate is open access to the rear. A luxurious center-mounted height-adjustable seat has been fitted here, and two other seats are placed on the sides as fold-down seats for additional passengers or bodyguards. The car is painted in pearl white color but the interior is completely white and the upholstery is white leather. The only exception is the red carpeting.
The powertrain has been carried over unchanged from the new Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology, with four electric motors, one at each wheel, developing 587 PS in total. Unlike the production model, the powertrain has been tuned for low-speed cruising at public appearances but Mercedes isn’t giving more details. The fixed ratio in the gearbox has likely been adapted for low-speed cruising.
A long tradition of cooperation between Mercedes and the Catholic Church
1930: Mercedes 460 Pullman Saloon
The first Mercedes Popemobile was a Nurburg 460 Pullman Saloon delivered in 1930 to Pope Pius IX. Mercedes won the competition to supply an official car to the pope thanks to a special feature: the possibility to travel with two dignitaries using the folding rear seats.
1980: Popemobile based on the W460 generation
In the 1960s, Pope John XXIII received a 300 Landaulet with an automatic transmission and extended wheelbase. His successor Pope Paul VI initially used a Mercedes 600 Pullman Landaulet and later a 300 SEL Landaulet. In the 1980s, the papal vehicle received the official name Papamobil. Pope John Paul II used a modified Mercedes of the W460 generation for events in St. Peter’s Square.
It had the rear covered with a tall plexiglass enclosure in which the pope could stand and wave to the pilgrims. The reinforced Plexiglas bullet-proof casing was introduced after the assassination attempt on the pope on March 13, 1981.
This model was also used during Pope Paul II’s visit to Germany. Mercedes built two models: a G 230 with a carburetor engine developing 100 PS with registration number SGV-7 and a Mercedes G 230 GE with gasoline injection (M102) developing 125 PS. One of these two popemobiles can be seen today in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
2002: Popemobile based on the W463 generation
Since 2002, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have been using a W463 generation Mercedes G 500. In December 2012, Pope Benedict XVI received a Mercedes M-Class with the same armored plexiglass structure from Dieter Zetsche.
Other Popemobiles than Mercedes
But the Pope didn’t only use Mercedes models. Since 1976, the pope has had a white Toyota Land Cruiser and later a Fiat Campagnolo, in which the May 13, 1981 assassination attempt took place. The pope even got a Dacia Duster in 2019. It was painted white and had a beige interior with a special seat in the rear and a generous sunroof that was removable. The suspension was also lowered by 30mm to allow Pope Francis to climb aboard more easily. In 2019 on the occasion of his visit to Japan, The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan presented the pope two modified Toyota Mirai. The Mirai Papamobil was 5.10 m long being 21 cm longer than the original model. The height of 2.7 meters allows the pope to stand upright in the car. Toyota considered the Mirai, which has a hydrogen propulsion system, a perfect fit with the Vatican’s environmental protection policy.
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