What will happen to the £380,000 Popemobile?

Pope Francis used a white Mercedes-Benz SUV known as the Popemobile, given to the pontiff just months before his death.

All eyes are on the Vatican City after the death of Pope Francis just weeks after he left the Rome hospital to continue his recovery from pneumonia at home.

He greeted crowds of well-wishers on St Peter’s Square yesterday from the comfort of the Popemobile – a custom-made version of the luxury Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon loved by celebrities.

Follow the latest reactions to the news of the Pope’s death here

The new, electric Popemobile was revealed in December last year in time for the 2025 Jubilee year, which Pope Francis was meant to celebrate with the 1.41 billion Catholics.

The Popemobile is truly one of a kind as it has been custom-made for the pontiff (Picture: Allison Shelley/Getty Images)

But, what is the Popemobile and what will happen to it now?

What will happen to Popemobile after the death?

The fate of the new Popemobile has not been revealed yet.

But, it is likely the keys will be handed to his successor after the conclave makes its selection.

A well-maintained G-Wagon can have a lifespan of 30 years or more, and it can reach 200,000 miles, according to Mercedes-Benz.

The new Popemobile has a swivelling chair in the middle for the pontiff that can be height adjusted to make greeting easier (Picture: Mercedes-Benz)

The battery life of an electric G 580 is around 10 to 20 years or 120,000 to 150,000 miles, Mercedes said, so the current Popemobile has many miles left.

The latest Popemobile is estimated to cost around £380,000 ($500,000), according to Business Insider.

The evolution of the Popemobile

The Vatican’s number one choice of car has been Mercedes-Benz, which has designed the special papal vehicle for the past 94 years.

Pope John Paul II arrives at the Kosevo Stadium in his Popemobile during a visit to Sarajevo on April 12, 1997, during the Bosnian War (Picture: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

The current Popemobile was unveiled in December – the first electric holy wagon aligning with Pope Francis’s eco-conscious mindset.

Unlike the normal G-Wagons, usually selling for more than £185,000, the pearl white Popemobile G 580 has been modified.

It boasts the pontiff’s special, swivelling chair in the middle with two seats behind him for the bodyguards, a red carpet and the Vatican flags at the front.

Pope John Paul II used a British-made Leyland Popemobile during a visit to Manchester’s Heaton Park on May 31, 1982 – a year after an assassination attempt in Vatican City
(Picture: Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

The drivetrain of the G-Wagon has been adapted to allow particularly low speeds during public appearances like during the pope’s final drive through the crowd yesterday.

Mercedes-Benz created a custom-made car for Pope Pius XI in 1930, a Nürburg 460 Pullman Saloon, considered the first official Popemobile.

The 1930s and 1940s are an awkward time for both the papalcy and the Mercedes-Benz due to the links to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Pope Francis on board the first electric Popemobile during his last engagement yesterday (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

Previous popes have used other brands as well, such as Ford and Seat, and Francis has been seen travelling in a minibus, a small Ford Focus, a Renault and a Kia Soul during a visit to South Korea.

Pope Francis was also a fan of public transport, it is understood.

The Popemobile was kitted with bulletproof glass after the assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.