New Delhi, Dec 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a major security upgrade with a new car which has enhanced protection features. A latest version of Mercedes Maybach that boasts of highest armored protection.
PM Modi’s Mercedes Maybach S650 Guard, has got the VR10 protection level, an upgrade from the Range Rover Vogue and the Toyota Land Cruiser that he used until recently.
During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, PM Modi had arrived at Hyderabad House to welcome him in the new car. As the two prominent leaders meet, the Mercedes Maybach also became a center of attention.
A VIP armored car is a civilian vehicle which has reinforced structure to protect the occupants from assaults, bullets and blasts. These cars usually have bulletproof glasses and layers of armor plating, along with other defensive mechanisms. Civilian armored vehicles look like regular vehicles and the enhanced protection features are not noticeable from outside. The Mercedes Maybach S650 Guard is highly secure and it can withstand blasts and bullets.
The VR10 or Explosive Resistant Vehicle (ERV) 2010 rating means it is resistant to 15 kg TNT blast from a distance of just two metres.
The car, which costs around Rs 12 crore, has a fuel tank coated with a special material which is also used by Boeing for its AH-64 Apache tank attack helicopters. The car also has special tyres which make it possible to escape after a hit or damage.
According to sources, decision of upgrading a VVIP’s car, in this case the Prime Minister, is taken by the Special Protection Group that protects them.
The Maybach S650 Guard is powered by a 6.0 litre twin-turbo V12 engine that produces 516bhp and a peak torque of around 900Nm. The maximum speed of the luxury car is 160 kmph.
With several inputs suggesting threats to Prime Minister Modi’s life, he is one of the most secured leaders of the world. A series of blasts rocked Modi’s Hunkaar Rally in Patna on October 27, 2013 when he was Gujarat CM killing six persons and injuring several others.
Back in 2017, Kerala DGP TP Senkumar said Modi faced terrorist threat from an active terror module during his visit to Kochi to inaugurate the new metro rail in the city.
Prime Minister Modi has so far used many cars like the BMW 7 Series High Security Edition, and bullet proof Mahindra Scorpio when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, among others.
