mercedes-benz transforms G-class into fully electric popemobile

Fully electric popemobile G-class by mercedes-benz

Mercedes-Benz transforms the Popemobile, or the bulletproof car that the Pope uses in his official visits, into a fully electric G-Class, in time for the 2025 Jubilee in Rome. The car brand gifts the handmade vehicle to Pope Francis in the Vatican on December 4th, 2024, which Mercedes-Benz developed in close collaboration with the Vatican team. The electric drivetrain of the Popemobile is adjusted to cruise at low speeds because it’s the traditional pace of the vehicle when the Pope conducts his public appearances and visits.

Many of the previous Popemobile’s design features return to the fully electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class, adjusted to Pope Francis’ needs. The design team replaces the bench seat with a central single seat. Its height is adjustable, and it can also rotate so that the Pope can move around flexibly and address his audience easily from any direction and with minimal movement. Behind this seat, there are two more seats on the left and right for additional passengers.

all images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

Removable hardtop to protect the pope from rain

For the fully electric Popemobile G-Class, Mercedes-Benz removes the B-pillar, or the support beam between the front and rear doors. This leaves the vehicle semi-open, and the car brand moves it to the automobile’s side structure to blend with the design. The revamped vehicle also has a removable hardtop roof to protect Pope Francis in case of rain or bad weather conditions. The left rear door is stripped too, and the design team’s specialists rebuilds it using traditional coachbuilding style. They then produce it as a single piece welded into the bodyshell.

To top off the redesign, the hinges of the rear door were transferred to the left side of the Popemobile. Like the previous models, the Pope’s fully electric G-class is painted in classic pearl white, both on the outside and inside, while the flooring breaks away from this shade with the use of red carpet. Mercedes-Benz has been providing cars to the Vatican for 94 years, and for the past 45 years, the Pope has been using the renowned Popemobiles based on the car brand’s G-Class. This is the first time that the vehicle goes fully electric, which the Pope is expected to use for his official visits, events, and public appearances, including the 2025 Jubilee in Rome, Italy.

Mercedes-Benz transforms the Popemobile into a fully electric G-Class