Isuzu Gencars makes Popemobile
Isuzu Gencars once again proved its reliability and versatility in making top-of-the-line vehicles when it was entrusted with the challenging task of producing the popemobile that His Holiness Pope Francis used during his visit to Manila in January of 2015.
It all began about the middle of the 2014 when Lingayen – Dagupan Archbishop Soc Villegas, chair of the Steering Committee for the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, asked D. Edgard A. Cabangon, President and CEO, if Gencars could provide the vehicle for the popemobile.
But of course, Edgard recalls later, what could one say except, “thank you, Excellency, we will be honored and consider ourselves blessed to do it.”
Promptly he contacted Almazora Motors, a long-time partner in vehicle-making, and worked closely with them for the design and fabrication of the Popemobile.
Production of Popemobile
By October 2014, Isuzu Gencars and Almazora Motors began working on custom design and other details of the Popemobile. The Isuzu D-Max was chosen to be customized according to the requirements and standards of the Vatican Security. Followingthe well-researched design by Maru Almazora of Almazora Motors, the plain white Japanese pick-up was transformed into a vehicle fit to carry around the city the Head of the Vatican State and the Catholic Church.