Home
 Automobiles from Mercedes Benz Papal Carriages and Automobiles Scott 1033 and 1035 (1997) On November 29, our Daily Email and Page 2 article presented a look at the carriages and automobiles that have been used to transport the pope over the years. Right on cue, on December 4 an article appeared from the Catholic News Agency (CNA) entitled “Mercedes-Benz presents Pope Francis with new modified G-Wagon ‘popemobile’”. At a meeting at the Vatican, Ola Källenius, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz, presented the pope with a white box containing the white and chrome key fob for the pope’s new open-air vehicle, affectionately called the “Popemobile” since the days of Pope John Paul II. The new all-electric vehicle is a modified Mercedes G-class wagon and is equipped with comfort amenities such as a rotating heated seat and a heated handrail. The white SUV is detailed with Pope Francis’ coat of arms and two small Holy See flags. The vehicle is also clearly identified as that of the pope with the Vatican City license plate “SCV 1”. At the top of this article are two stamps from the Vatican stamp issue of 1997 entitled “Papal Carriages and Automobiles”, picturing papal automobiles made by Mercedes-Benz. The German luxury car manufacturer has provided vehicles for the Vatican for 94 years, and during the last 45 years the “popemobiles” have been based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The move to an all-electric “popemobile” is not a surprise, given Pope Francis’s strong advocacy for the environment. In 2023, the Vatican also announced the purchase electric mail trucks to replace its older fleet of four gas-powered trucks, and a deal with Volkswagen to convert all its vehicles to full electric. 
 Europa 2013 Issue "The Postal Van" Scott 1529-1530 Here are a couple of photos showing the “popemobile” in action:  Pope Benedict XVI In Popemobile Passes the White House, April 16, 2008 White House photo by Chris Greenberg From Wikimedia Commons In the public domain  Pope Benedict XVI Rides in the Popemobile Papal Visit to England, September 17, 2010 Photograph by Diocese of Westminster From Wikimedia Commons Used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license REFERENCES: |
