Autoweek.com
January 19, 2017
January 19, 2017
More than two years have passed since the United States Secret Service posted bid requirements for a new presidential limousine, aka The Beast, and the 2017 Cadillac is just about ready to make its first public appearance. The 2017 version will replace a fleet of approximately a dozen nearly identical vehicles that have served the 44th chief executive since 2009, and prototypes of the new limo have been spotted undergoing road trials.
So what can President-Elect Trump look forward to in the 2017 Cadillac limousine?
When it comes to the exterior design and interior layout, the 2017 version may actually change the least compared to its predecessors. During the last 50 years, each generation of limousines was significant; each new version featured dramatically different styling (or a different marque altogether), while interior layouts were reworked from generation to generation. The changeover from President Bill Clinton's sedan-based Cadillac Fleetwood limousine to President George W. Bush's GMT800-based limousine was pretty significant, and the debut of the Kodiak-platform 2009 limousine for President Barack Obama's inauguration represented another major step in terms of engineering and exterior appearance.
But for 2017, the design and engineering of the presidential limousine appears to have reached a plateau of sorts; the limo cannot get any bigger, and when it comes to the interior layout the 2017 version will largely be a repeat of the 2009 limousine.
Donald Trump’s new presidential limousine will be fully stocked with weaponry, bullet-proof windows and doors, and even bottles of the president-elect’s blood type in case of emergencies, according to new reports.
The “Cadillac One” limousine, set to debut on Inauguration Day, will replace a fleet of nearly a dozen limos that have served President Obama since 2009, Autoweek reported.
The new presidential limousine, also known as “The Beast,” will cost as much as $1.5 million, the New York Post reported.
The limo will be stocked with the president's blood type in case the ambulance that travels with the motorcade can't get access to Trump, Autoweek said. It also will be equipped with a tear gas cannon and a shotgun.
It will also reportedly be plated with military-grade armor, making the doors so heavy that President Trump won't be able to open them from the inside.