Pope spotted using Hyundai Ioniq 5 during Singapore visit
13 Sep 2024|1,422 views
The papacy may hold the keys to heaven, but it seems the pope has gotten (electric) push-to-start when travelling here in Singapore.
With our sunny island marking the final stop of his 12-day Asia Pacific tour, Pope Francis was observed riding off in a white Hyundai Ioniq 5 following his welcome procession along the Jurassic Mile (outside Changi Airport) on Wednesday (11 September 2024), where he was greeted by a 1,000 strong crowd.
On his second day here, the pontiff was spotted once again in the front passenger seat of the white Ioniq 5. Worth noting is that his transport in Singapore still bears the one-and-only 'SCV 1' number plate - with the 'S' not standing for anything Singapore-related, but 'Status Civitatis Vatican' (Latin for 'Vatican City').
Also worth noting for the car nerds: Observe the rims on the Ioniq 5s in the entourage, and you'll know that it's most likely that the pope was given one of the rear-wheel drive, single-motor variants for use.
While it's unclear what exactly motivated the pope's gravitation towards the Ioniq 5, the choice of a humbler electric SUV (as opposed to a luxury sedan) continues his trend of relying on more mass market cars for his Asia Pacific tour. In Indonesia, for instance, the pope was spotted making his rounds in a white Toyota Innova.
A comparison of the rims on the single-motor (left/above) and dual-motor (right/below) variants of the Ioniq 5. It's likely the pope has been travelling around in the single-motor Ioniq 5
Furthermore, the decision to use an electric vehicle does make sense, given that Pope Francis has made climate change one of the key pillars of his papacy.
Environmental credentials aside, the Ioniq 5 comes with its own creature comforts. The pope would have gotten a ventilated and reclinable 'Zero Gravity' seat if he happened to be using Prestige trim of the Ioniq 5, on top of loads of space to stretch out in, thanks to the car's 3,000mm wheelbase.
Holding the honour of being the first model to be assembled in Singapore in 40 years, the Ioniq 5 is perhaps also as Singaporean as cars come today.
Prestige and Inspiration trims of the Ioniq 5 come with ventilated and reclinable 'Zero Gravity' front seats
When asked, a spokesperson from the brand declined to comment at length on the pope's usage of the cars, only confirming that they had been supplied by Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS).
The Ioniq 5 was recently joined by its sedan sibling, the Ioniq 6, at HMGICS, with all locally-sold units of both models now put together at the Centre's highly-automated Smart Factory.
In the meantime, sales of Hyundai EVs have also been on a steady rise. As of June this year, the brand had registered a total of 463 electric cars locally, representing half of its overall registrations for H1 of 2024, as well as a 350% year-on-year increase compared to the same point in 2023.
The papacy may hold the keys to heaven, but it seems the pope has gotten (electric) push-to-start when travelling here in Singapore.
With our sunny island marking the final stop of his 12-day Asia Pacific tour, Pope Francis was observed riding off in a white Hyundai Ioniq 5 following his welcome procession along the Jurassic Mile (outside Changi Airport) on Wednesday (11 September 2024), where he was greeted by a 1,000 strong crowd.
On his second day here, the pontiff was spotted once again in the front passenger seat of the white Ioniq 5. Worth noting is that his transport in Singapore still bears the one-and-only 'SCV 1' number plate - with the 'S' not standing for anything Singapore-related, but 'Status Civitatis Vatican' (Latin for 'Vatican City').
Also worth noting for the car nerds: Observe the rims on the Ioniq 5s in the entourage, and you'll know that it's most likely that the pope was given one of the rear-wheel drive, single-motor variants for use.
While it's unclear what exactly motivated the pope's gravitation towards the Ioniq 5, the choice of a humbler electric SUV (as opposed to a luxury sedan) continues his trend of relying on more mass market cars for his Asia Pacific tour. In Indonesia, for instance, the pope was spotted making his rounds in a white Toyota Innova.
A comparison of the rims on the single-motor (left/above) and dual-motor (right/below) variants of the Ioniq 5. It's likely the pope has been travelling around in the single-motor Ioniq 5
Furthermore, the decision to use an electric vehicle does make sense, given that Pope Francis has made climate change one of the key pillars of his papacy.
Environmental credentials aside, the Ioniq 5 comes with its own creature comforts. The pope would have gotten a ventilated and reclinable 'Zero Gravity' seat if he happened to be using Prestige trim of the Ioniq 5, on top of loads of space to stretch out in, thanks to the car's 3,000mm wheelbase.
Holding the honour of being the first model to be assembled in Singapore in 40 years, the Ioniq 5 is perhaps also as Singaporean as cars come today.
Prestige and Inspiration trims of the Ioniq 5 come with ventilated and reclinable 'Zero Gravity' front seats
When asked, a spokesperson from the brand declined to comment at length on the pope's usage of the cars, only confirming that they had been supplied by Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS).
The Ioniq 5 was recently joined by its sedan sibling, the Ioniq 6, at HMGICS, with all locally-sold units of both models now put together at the Centre's highly-automated Smart Factory.
In the meantime, sales of Hyundai EVs have also been on a steady rise. As of June this year, the brand had registered a total of 463 electric cars locally, representing half of its overall registrations for H1 of 2024, as well as a 350% year-on-year increase compared to the same point in 2023.
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