Pope Francis Receives A Modified Dacia Duster SUV As New Popemobile

Renault Motors has gifted a specially modified Dacia Duster to Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.

The SUV was modified to suit papal needs by Dacia’s Prototype department and Special Needs Team, in partnership with Romanian coachbuilder Romturingia.

The purpose-built machine has five seats – one of which is a comfortable rear bench seat. It also has a large sunroof, a removable glass superstructure, a ground clearance 30-mm (1.2-inch) lower than normal, and internal and external support elements. The white car with the beige interior is 4.34 metres long and 1.8 metres wide.

The Duster is finished in white with a leather interior, and its suspension has been lowered by 30mm to allow for easier ingress and egress.

It was delivered to The Vatican by Christophe Dridi, managing director of Groupe Renault Romania, and Xavier Martinet, general manager of Groupe Renault Italy.

In 2017, Lamborghini gifted Pope Francis a Huracán specially painted in the official colours of The Vatican. After he had blessed and autographed the car, it was sold at a charity auction for £630,000.