Part 1 of Picture gallery: Lexus honoured as official state car in 20 countries
An official state car is a vehicle specifically chosen and usually specifically customised to transport its head of state, be it a King, Queen, President, Prime Minister or high ranking government official. Usually, these official state cars are selected on exacting standards of comfort, security, specification, performance and the overall public image it represents.
I'm a President. How do I choose my ride?
Doesn't work quite like that!
In every case, the head of state has direct influence in the rigorous selection process of an official state car. Due to the nature of the task at hand, the consultation between the head of state and the government security personnel may take several months of pre-testing across different scenarios, conditions and outcomes.
Once the selection is made, representatives from the chosen automobile manufacturer are invited to meet with the security team that serves at the behest of the head of state to run through a battery of customisations to ensure the delivered car, the final product, is adequately securitised, reinforced, strengthened, armoured and equipped to address these scenarios. Bearing in mind official state cars are frequently driven along narrow streets usually lined by a sea of people, driven at low speeds, advanced built-in capabilities need to counter potentially invasive and life-threatening risks from enemies of the state or even the general public.
For security reasons, more than one vehicle will be customised. Some of these act as transport for the consort or spouse of the head of state or as a back-up vehicle, or a back-up to the back-up, or as decoy to create misdirection if unwanted attention can be foreseen.
So what do leaders from these 20 nations have in common? Let's look at what these heads of states have chosen as their official state car:
Head of State Cars
1. Austria
Senior members of the Austrian government use the Lexus GS.
2. Bolivia
President of Bolivia uses an armoured Lexus LS 460 L
3. Chile
Newly-elected President of Chile Sebastian Pinera chose the Lexus LS 600h L as the presidential car
4. Denmark
The Queen of Denmark uses a specially-modified Lexus LS 600h L as her official car
5. Dominican Republic
Danilo Medina, Present of Dominican Republic, uses a black Lexus LX 570 as one of his official cars
6. El Salvador
The President of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, has a Lexus LX 570 among his fleet of state cars.
7. Hong Kong
The current Chief Executive of Hong Kong, CY Leung, has two vehicles as his official state car but invariably, he is seen chauffered in his Lexus LS 600h L.
8. Iceland
The President of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is personally driven in his Lexus LS 600h L with the number plate '1'.
9. Ireland
To help senior Irish government officials undertake their service, they are provided with a Lexus GS Hybrid.
10. Israel
Curiously, the Prime Minister of Israel believes in downsizing. Despite his size, one of his official cars is a Lexus IS 250.
In part 2, we explore the next 10 official cars that transport leaders of nations. Plus, we'll answer an important question: What does it mean to be chosen as an official state car? Find out more here.
Cheers!
All Lexus
An official state car is a vehicle specifically chosen and usually specifically customised to transport its head of state, be it a King, Queen, President, Prime Minister or high ranking government official. Usually, these official state cars are selected on exacting standards of comfort, security, specification, performance and the overall public image it represents.
I'm a President. How do I choose my ride?
Doesn't work quite like that!
In every case, the head of state has direct influence in the rigorous selection process of an official state car. Due to the nature of the task at hand, the consultation between the head of state and the government security personnel may take several months of pre-testing across different scenarios, conditions and outcomes.
Once the selection is made, representatives from the chosen automobile manufacturer are invited to meet with the security team that serves at the behest of the head of state to run through a battery of customisations to ensure the delivered car, the final product, is adequately securitised, reinforced, strengthened, armoured and equipped to address these scenarios. Bearing in mind official state cars are frequently driven along narrow streets usually lined by a sea of people, driven at low speeds, advanced built-in capabilities need to counter potentially invasive and life-threatening risks from enemies of the state or even the general public.
For security reasons, more than one vehicle will be customised. Some of these act as transport for the consort or spouse of the head of state or as a back-up vehicle, or a back-up to the back-up, or as decoy to create misdirection if unwanted attention can be foreseen.
So what do leaders from these 20 nations have in common? Let's look at what these heads of states have chosen as their official state car:
Head of State Cars
1. Austria
Senior members of the Austrian government use the Lexus GS.
2. Bolivia
President of Bolivia uses an armoured Lexus LS 460 L
3. Chile
Newly-elected President of Chile Sebastian Pinera chose the Lexus LS 600h L as the presidential car
4. Denmark
The Queen of Denmark uses a specially-modified Lexus LS 600h L as her official car
5. Dominican Republic
Danilo Medina, Present of Dominican Republic, uses a black Lexus LX 570 as one of his official cars
6. El Salvador
The President of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, has a Lexus LX 570 among his fleet of state cars.
7. Hong Kong
The current Chief Executive of Hong Kong, CY Leung, has two vehicles as his official state car but invariably, he is seen chauffered in his Lexus LS 600h L.
8. Iceland
The President of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is personally driven in his Lexus LS 600h L with the number plate '1'.
9. Ireland
To help senior Irish government officials undertake their service, they are provided with a Lexus GS Hybrid.
10. Israel
Curiously, the Prime Minister of Israel believes in downsizing. Despite his size, one of his official cars is a Lexus IS 250.
In part 2, we explore the next 10 official cars that transport leaders of nations. Plus, we'll answer an important question: What does it mean to be chosen as an official state car? Find out more here.
Cheers!
All Lexus
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