Well, the presidential elections are all over, and we finally found out that Mr. Trump will be seated in the White House as the Head of the state when he takes his oath of office in 2017. But what is even more interesting than Mr.Trump’s change in venue is that he will be followed there with a new “toy” and that is an all-new presidential limousine. The outdated “Beast” which was introduced in 2009 at Barack Obama’s inauguration will be replaced by a new and younger model that will be in the service of the new president.
What is it? What changes it brings?
The fact is that the brand is the same. Cadillac is here to stay, only in a new form with a heavier truck frame that now combines the look of the Cadillac Escalade‘s front face and a couple of copied characteristics from the smaller XT5 SUV. The new “Beast,” if you don’t mind us calling it like that, is going to be extremely heavy with its 15.000 to 20.000 pounds (6.800 to 9.000 kilograms) and will come jam packed with all of little gizmos and gadgets a President might need.
The Equipment
What will make this one stand out from the previous Presidential limo will be heavy armor, bulletproof glass, loads of electronic security features, and the capability to withstand a rocket-propelled grenade hit or an IED blast which are just some of more notable upgrades. God only knows what else it can or already hides underneath that thick skin that they can not disclose due to security reasons. The interior will retain the previous model’s seating arrangement that had 2+3+2 layout. The interior will be well equipped for any necessity and with anything that the President might need while on the road. This project was comprehensive and took nearly two years to be completed as well as dragged through four stages that included the development of armor, installing and testing of said armor, automotive validation, and putting it into production.
When will we see new presidential limo?
Well, dear readers all said above has its price, and let me tell you the price is high. The Caddy in this configuration, and with all of the mentioned trinkets costs around $1.5 million, but that is nothing compared to $15.8 million that the US Government paid to GM for the development of the future presidential ride. The first time everyone will get to see the latest presidential limousine, besides here on the spy photos, will be on January 20th when Donald Trump takes office.
