Mercedes announced the new Mercedes PopeMobile for Pope Benedict XVI. The new Mercedes PopeMobile is based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and will be used by the Vatican spiritual leader in its Wednesdays public audiences. The new Mercedes PopeMobile
Mercedes Press Release:
This open official car, which the Head of the Catholic Church requested for use during fine weather, was developed by Mercedes-Benz on the basis of the G 500. It is equipped with a folding windscreen and hand-rails, and like its
predecessors it is painted in the Vatican mystic white finish. The interior is likewise white, and is accessed via steps lined in red at the rear. The Pope holds his audiences in a standing position, so that he is easily visible to all his flock.
The Holy Father is continuing a long tradition with the new Popemobile from Mercedes-Benz. Pope Pius XI was the first to receive a Mercedes-Benz as an official car in 1930 - a Nürburg 460 Pullman limousine. Over the following decades Mercedes-Benz regularly provided the Vaticanwith automobiles
which had been specially converted for the use of the Holy Father.
Today the Pope has several Mercedes-Benz cars at his disposal. In addition to the new G 500 Cabriolet, the fleet currently includes M and S-Class models with special protection.
