Groupe Renault Delivers Exclusive Dacia To Pop Francis

Added: 28 November 2019

Holiness Pope Francis, specially designed for the mobility needs of the Pope
The vehicle was delivered today to the Holy Father of the Vatican State by Christophe Dridi, Managing Director of Groupe Renault Romania and CEO of Automobile Dacia SA, and by Xavier Martinet, General Manager of Groupe Renault Italy

Groupe Renault has given as a gift to His Holiness Pope Francis a Dacia Duster specially designed for the mobility needs of the Pope. The vehicle was delivered to the Holy Father today by Christophe Dridi, Managing Director of Groupe Renault Romania and CEO of Automobile Dacia SA, and by Xavier Martinet, General Manager of Groupe Renault Italy, during a visit to the Pope's residence in the Vatican State.

The "Popemobile" has a white outer livery with beige interiors. The model, based on Dacia Duster, is 4.34 metres long and 1.80 metre wide.

The vehicle was transformed by the Prototype Department and the Dacia Special Needs team in Romania, in cooperation with coach builder Romturingia. This adapted version has 5 seats, of which 1 is a particularly comfortable rear bench seat. The vehicle also integrates specific solutions and accessories specially designed to make it suitable for the uses for which it will be intended by the Vatican: large sunroof, removable glass superstructure, ground clearance 30mm lower than normal, for easier access on board, as well as internal and external support elements.

By giving the “Popemobile” to the Vatican as a gift, Groupe Renault puts its experience as a car manufacturer to the service of the mobility needs of Pope Francis.

“With this gift to His Holiness, Groupe Renault renews its strong and continuous commitment to putting Man at the centre of its priorities” declared Xavier Martinet, General Manager of Groupe Renault Italy.

The Dacia Relationship With Renault
Dacia has a long history associated with Renault, the French brand first working with Dacia plants in Romania in the 1960s, before acquiring them fully in 1999. The brand concept is simple: to shake up preconceived ideas. Dacia produces spacious, robust, high-quality vehicles of original design that are affordable for everybody.

Dacia vehicles offer exceptional value for money. Reliable and resistant, they embody the best of Renault expertise. Relaunched by parent company Groupe Renault in 2004, the Dacia range has been expanding constantly and buyers have a wide array of vehicles to choose from, ranging from Dacia Duster, a sporty all-terrain vehicle, to family vehicles such as the Dacia Sandero and Dacia Logan MCV. The concept continues to enjoy great success with over 5.8 million Dacias sold in Europe since the brand’s revival in 2004.

Dacia launched in the UK in January 2013 and enjoyed the most successful start ever for a new car brand in the UK. Dacia was named as the most recommended car brand in 2018 in a list compiled by YouGov in its BrandIndex, beating 34 other manufacturers. Dacia was also named Best Value Brand at the Auto Trader New Car Awards 2019, voted for by 63,000 real UK car owners. Dacia was one of only four out of 36 manufacturers to receive five-star reliability ratings in the 2017 Which? Car Survey, outperforming many well established and premium brands. The Dacia Sandero has been awarded the title of “Best Small Car under £12,000” by What Car? for seven consecutive years (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013). More than 150,000 Dacia vehicles have been sold in the UK to date.

Credits: Dacia Press - https://press.dacia.co.uk/en-gb/releases/258