Pope Leo XIV is set to travel in three different custom-built popemobiles during a South American tour scheduled for November 6 to 17. Fiat, Toyota and General Motors have each supplied two adapted vehicles, all based on mid-size diesel pickups that originally had double cabs.

The first leg, in Uruguay from November 6 to 8, will use a vehicle based on Fiat’s Titano pickup. Nordex, which assembles vehicles for several brands in Uruguay, adapted the truck. Vatican requirements include open sides, a height-adjustable rotating seat, two additional seats, an electric rear step, a red carpet, white leather upholstery and a transparent roof to shield the pope from rain.

Toyota’s Hilux-based vehicle is intended for the Argentina leg, from November 8 to 11. The automaker has not shown the full design, releasing only a photograph of one vehicle being handed to the country’s apostolic nuncio, Monsignor Michael Wallace Banach. The pickup is built in Zárate, Buenos Aires province, and was adapted by Vallé Equipamientos, a Toyota-approved vehicle conversion company based in Córdoba.

For the Peru leg, from November 11 to 17, Leo XIV will have two popemobiles based on Chevrolet S10 pickups built in São José dos Campos, Brazil. General Motors developed the vehicles with Engesig, a specialist in preparing vehicles for specific uses.

GM product engineering senior manager Luiz Gustavo Moraes said the main challenge was determining how to cut the double-cab body while preserving its structure and securing the pope’s seat correctly. He said the handrails were designed to let Leo XIV hold on while remaining visible to the public, speak with his team and stand safely during journeys.

The vehicles also carry Vatican-related inscriptions on their metal structures: a Latin motto at the front, the Vatican keys symbol on the side and the Italian phrase “La pace sia con tutti voi” (“Peace be with you all”), from Leo XIV’s inaugural address, near the floor, according to GM.

After the tour, the popemobiles are expected to be donated to the Catholic Church administrations in each country. In Uruguay, the Vatican said it expects the vehicle may be acquired by collectors, with proceeds going to support funds for charities and Catholic schools facing financial difficulties.

Countries that host a pope generally prepare their own vehicles, although conventional cars have also been used. During Pope Francis’s 2013 visit to Brazil for World Youth Day, he traveled in a Fiat Idea, which later became part of Fiat’s collection in Betim, Minas Gerais.

In Italy, Leo XIV uses an electric vehicle developed by Mercedes-Benz from its luxury G-Class SUV. The same vehicle carried Pope Francis during his last public appearance, on Easter Sunday in 2025.

Sources: Folha Mercado.