Emission-Free Pope


Renault has outmaneuvered partner Daimler, which didn’t have a prayer. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn handed Pope Benedict XVI (nee Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger) a new, fully sustainable electric popemobile.

Actually, two popemobiles were received.

The first one is white with the Papal coat of arms depicted on the doors. Based on the Kangoo Maxi Z.E., it measures 4.6 meters in length and 1.8 meters in width. It is powered by a 44kW (60hp) electric motor and a lithium-ion battery which is good for an average NEDC combined-cycle range of 170km.

The design of the other vehicle is very similar to that of the first, although its blue livery features a white and yellow stripe along each flank. It is for use by the Corps of Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City for the Pope’s security.
The two cars were converted by the French coachbuilder Gruau.
The pope usually travels in a white popemobile, which is based on the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. Possibly he keeps it for pangs of range anxiety. But with a direct line to God …
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- Lou_BC I kinda like the blocky lines. The snout has a star wars stormtrooper look so that means it won't hit anything.
- ToolGuy I respect the work this individual has done from the starting point he was handed ("I have been involved for about 6 months repairing this car acquired form my sister who received it from our dad"; "The car was an oily mess when I received it, had a clogged catalytic converter, and hesitated intermittently on the highway after extended driving (> 20 miles)")...But there is no need to show prospective customers the "before" or "in process" photographs. Very few customers want to see or know how the sausage is made.And rather than show extreme close-ups of the dents, call a PDR shop, and bump up your selling price.
- Ajla "launched as the GX550 offering a 3.4-liter" I know some people rip on pick up or performance car buyers for insecurity but it is funny that premium vehicle buyers need inflated designations like this because "GX340t" won't get their d*cks hard. Although Lexus isn't alone in this, it's even better here because they went from GX470 to GX460 back in 2009 and no one died over the decrease. The IS500 and LC500 are still matched to their displacement but maybe they'd sell more if it was called LC650? 🤔
- ToolGuy Q: Is it time for ToolGuy the non-early adopter to purchase an EV for long-term ownership?A: No, it is not.(Get this stuff ironed out and I'll be back later.)
- Theflyersfan Why take the effort to cover the back plate when the front plate is visible in a couple shots?
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I guess if the Church is asked about how much smog the Popemobile emits, they can honestly say Nun...
"Aloysius" -- surely not? "Alois", one would have thought, suffices for a Bavarian.