POPE Francis will be using a hybrid vehicle for his apostolic visit to Chile on January 15 to 18, the first time a Holy Father will be travelling in one on such an occasion.

The car Pope Francis will be using is a Hyundai IONIQ hybrid.

Hyundai Chile presented the vehicles that will be used for the transportation of the Holy Father and his delegation during their stay at the National Shrine of Maipú recently.

In a ceremony presided over by Monsignor Fernando Ramos, general coordinator of the National Commission for the Visit of Pope Francis, the vehicles that will be part of the official fleet were blessed. There are 127 Hyundai vehicles that correspond to the models All New i30, Santa Fe, Tucson, Elantra, H-1 minibus and IONIQ hybrid. In addition to the supreme pontiff, the other vehicles will be used by the cardinals who accompany him, government officials, special guests and security personnel in Santiago, Iquique and Temuco.

“We are very grateful for the collaboration of Hyundai Chile for this important fleet of vehicles that will be at the service of the Holy Father’s transportation and those who accompany him during his Apostolic Visit to our country,” said Monsignor Ramos.

During the activity, Maximo Morel, automotive business manager at Gildemeister Group and Jean Anwandter, corporate marketing manager at Gildemeister Group, did the official handing over of the Hyundai keys to Monsignor Fernando Ramos and Coronel of Carabineros, Enrique Corvalán.

“It is a great honour that Hyundai has once again been selected as the official means of transportation for such an important event in Chile. On this occasion, it is about the transportation of Pope Francis, distinguished authorities and guests who will be in the country during his visit. We believe that this decision is an acknowledgement of the brand’s excellence and we appreciate the confidence placed by the National Commission in the Hyundai brand,” commented Máximo Morel, automotive business manager at Gildemeister Group.

This will be the first time during a foreign visit that Pope Francis moves in a hybrid car. The Hyundai IONIQ model stands out for its safety, integrating a high efficiency 1.6 litre GDi gasoline engine with four cylinders, which delivers 105 HP and another electric engine of 32 KW with 43 HP. This allows the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 10.8 seconds, and reach a top speed of 185 km/h. It’s a car that contributes to the Holy Father’s eco-friendly visit, saving fuel and producing low C02 emissions.

Hyundai is distributed locally by the Orchard Road-based Magna Motors.