The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, will be rolling in a specially modified Toyota Mirai that was delivered as a gift from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan (CBCJ).
The car is one of the two Toyota Mirai vehicles that were specially made by the Japanese carmaker and donated to the CBCJ for the Pope’s needs during the papal visit to Japan in November last year.
The hydrogen-powered Popemobile measures 5.1 meters long and 2.7 meters high (including the special roof), allowing the Pope to stand and be visible to people.
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The delivery ceremony took place near the Pope’s residence in the Vatican City, with Senior Vice President of Toyota Motor Europe Miguel Fonseca and Toyota Motor Italia CEO Mauro Caruccio representing the Japanese automaker. Also present were Rev. Father Domenico Makoto Wada representing the CBCJ, and Seiji Okada, Japan’s Ambassador to the Holy See.
The Toyota Mirai Popemobile is based on the current generation of the Japanese hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, which offers around 310 miles (500 km) of range while emitting only water.
Through the years, the popemobile fleet has been one of the most diverse collections of specially made vehicles, ranging from original Fiat Panda to the Mercedes G-Class and from buses with their roofs chopped off to Lamborghinis. With that said, the Mirai is the most eco-friendly Popemobile yet, helping Pope Francis in communicating his deep interest in global environmental matters.
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