A new Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been revealed by the world’s largest premium car manufacturer but it’s a vehicle that only one particular person on Earth is intended to use: the Pope.
Mercedes-Benz has been a vehicle supplier to the Vatican for nearly 100 years, including 45 years’ worth of so-called Popemobiles, some with armoured glass cages for the Pope to wave at crowds from. Now another innovation will bring the Pope fully into the 21st century as Rome enters its latest Jubilee year in 2025, as the latest Popemobile incarnation will be fully electric with zero emissions, Mercedes-Benz announced after a private audience and the handover of the vehicle.
Adapted electric drivetrain for low touring speeds
“With the new Popemobile, Pope Francis is the first pope to be travelling in a fully electric Mercedes-Benz when making public appearances. This is a special honor for our company, and I would like to thank His Holiness for his trust,” said Ola Källenius, the group’s Chair. “With this Popemobile, we are also sending out a clear call for electromobility and decarbonization. Mercedes-Benz not only stands for the special and individual – but also for consistently creating the conditions for a net-carbon-neutral new car fleet in 2039”.
With millions of people expected to descend upon Rome next year for the Jubilee celebrations, the Pope’s new wheels will have a specially adapted electric drivetrain, to cope with the low speeds required for touring the streets during public appearances, the company said in a press release.
The Pope has previously spoken of the need for sustainable development, in a so-called “encyclical” circular letter distributed in the Catholic Church. Mercedes says the new popemobile will contribute to the realisation of that doctrine.
Rotating heated seat and “floating” appearance
As well as modern green transition technology, the vehicle features “traditional coachbuilding style”, the manufacturer says and has been adapted to meet the Pope’s additional needs (he has been using wheelchair in public appearances since 2022).
Pillars have been removed to give “an unmistakable side profile”, a separate hardtop offers protection from the elements, and the left rear door was rebuilt by specialists from a single piece and seamlessly welded into the bodyshell. In keeping with the classic image of the Pope, the vehicle is painted in classic pearl white with crests on either side. And as well as being image-conscious, the vehicle designers took comfort into account, with a heated, rotating seat helping to keep the Pope warm and able to greet crowds on all sides.
“The Electric G is of course a car that could go anywhere,” Källenius said, saying His Holiness will be “almost floating across the streets in this very quiet electric vehicle.”
