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Pope Benedict XVI will from now on greet the pilgrims who gather in St. Peters Square on Wednesdays in a white, open-top Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The new "Popemobile" was produced over a two-year development period in close consultation with the Vatican, and has now been personally handed over to the German-born Pope.
The open-top 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 four-wheel-drive G 500.
It is equipped with a folding windscreen and handrails and, like its predecessors, is painted in the Vatican mystic white finish.
The interior is also white and is accessed via steps lined in red at the rear.
The latest Popemobile continues a long tradition with Mercedes-Benz, which began in 1930 when Pope Pius XI received a Nurburg 460 Pullman limousine.
Since then, Mercedes-Benz has regularly provided the Vatican with specially-built vehicles.
