Pope Francis touched down in Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 11), marking the final stop of his 12-day whirlwind tour of the Asia-Pacific region.
Welcomed at Changi Airport with a few notable dignitaries (Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth Edwin Tong, Singapore’s Catholic leader Cardinal William Goh, and former cabinet minister Lim Boon Heng) Pope Francis’ arrival was a heartwarming affair.
Children performed “Singapore Town” and presented him with flowers, and he made a short visit to Jurassic Mile at Changi, where a crowd of 1,000 Catholics had gathered to greet him.
Interestingly, a white Hyundai Ioniq 5 was prepared for his arrival, and he was seen touring around Singapore in the front passenger seat of this EV.
It’s been almost four decades since a pontiff last visited Singapore (the late Pope John Paul II in 1986), and it seems fitting that the current pope would continue his trend of using mass-market cars instead of luxury sedans, sticking true to his message of humility and environmental responsibility.
For the keen-eyed, you’ll notice that the license plate of the Ioniq 5 has a special ‘SCV 1′ designation. This stands for ‘Status Civitatis Vatican’, a nod to the Vatican City.
So why the Hyundai Ioniq 5?
While we obviously don’t have a direct quote from Pope Francis on his car choice, we suspect that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was chosen due to its significance being made in Singapore. This is further supported as he was seen in Indonesia making his rounds in a white Toyota Innova, a vehicle produced locally there.
The Ioniq 5 would also fit his broader message of caring for the planet. Since taking office, Pope Francis has made tackling climate change one of the central themes of his papacy, so using an electric vehicle aligns with his ethos of sustainability.
Though Hyundai has kept tight-lipped about the specific details of their cars being used by the pope, they did confirm that the vehicles were supplied by the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS).
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