Toyota gifts a Mirai to the Pope

As a gift to His Holiness Pope Francis, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan (CBCJ) presented a hydrogen powered Toyota Mirai to the Pope, one that was specially modified for his mobility needs.

Present at the delivery ceremony near the Pope's residence in the Vatican City were Rev. Father Domenico Makoto Wada, representing the CBCJ, and His Excellency Seiji Okada, Ambassador of Japan to the Holy See. Representing Toyota was a delegation of six people led by Miguel Fonseca, Senior Vice President of Toyota Motor Europe, and Mauro Caruccio, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia.

The car is one of two units of the Toyota Mirai specially made by Toyota and donated to the CBCJ for the Pope's mobility needs on the papal visit to Japan in November 2019. The Mirai Popemobile is 5.1m in length and 2.7m tall, including the height of the transparent box, allowing the Pope to stand and be visible to people.

The Mirai, meaning 'future' in Japanese, is the first mass produced hydrogen powered sedan and was launched in 2014. It is the ultimate zero-emission car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system, enabling a range of around 500km while emitting only water.

Pope Francis has a deep interest in global environmental matters, thus making the Toyota Mirai an ideal vehicle to suit his vision of safeguarding the earth and the environment.