A presidential convoy is one of the perks of being a leader of a country. It also means that moving around is a complex business. You can’t even stroll down your street alone on a cool evening without having people around you.
In other words, a presidential convoy can be a privilege but stifling at the same time. However, it’s necessary because a President is often a target of disgruntled enemies, both known and unknown. The president is not only a leader but the heart of a country; any threat of danger to his or her person is translated to be a danger to the country and its citizens.
Today, we’ll look at the world’s top 10 most expensive presidential convoys.
Table of Content hide 1What is a presidential convoy? 2Top 10 most expensive presidential convoys in the world 2.110. Brunei 2.29. Nigeria 2.38. Kenya 2.47. North Korea 2.56. Malaysia 2.65. United Kingdom 2.74. China 2.83. South Korea 2.92. Russia 2.101. United StatesWhat is a presidential convoy?
A presidential convoy is a group of vehicles travelling together as they carry the president of a country for safety. In addition to the president, the convoy can also carry the president’s spouse and children. Other people in the presidential convoy are members of the press, security, presidential villa officials and VIP guests.
A presidential convoy is usually heavily fortified with armed security and bulletproof vehicles. Police escorts often precede to clear the road and block traffic for the presidential convoy to pass.
Top 10 most expensive presidential convoys in the world
10. Brunei
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan is the only country leader known to have the largest and most expensive private car collections in the world. His car collections, made up of 7000 cars, are said to be worth over $5bn. The Sultan usually travels around the country with Rolls Royce, accompanied by other cars and bikes to protect him and keep the roads clear.
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9. Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari may be known for his simple lifestyle. But when it comes to his convoy, it’s another matter entirely. The president travels in an expensive, luxurious Mercedes-Maybach S600 worth about $94,995. The president’s car is bombproof, bulletproof, and fireproof and has a high speed of 230 kilometres per hour. Other car features include keyless entry, rear parking aid, rearview camera, navigation system, heated seats, Wi-Fi, and many more. The Maybach was also designed to blend with other vehicles in convoy for security reasons. Apart from the Maybach, the president is accompanied by some Range Rovers, Toyota Land Cruiser and bikes, all armoured and well secure.
8. Kenya
Kenya’s president cruises in a luxurious Mercedes-Benz Pullman S600. The car costs about $1.56m, making it one of the most expensive cars in the world. However, the official vehicle of the President of the Republic of Kenya is a Toyota Land Cruiser V8, Toyota’s high-end luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) with comfort, stability and speed to boot. Like other presidential convoys worldwide, Kenya’s president travels with other vehicles and motorbikes to clear the road for safety.
7. North Korea
North Korea is probably the most isolated country in the world. The country’s self-proclaimed supreme leader, Kim Jung-Un, is not known to have a lot of friends in the international community. North Korean residents don’t drive a lot of cars, so he tends to stand out whenever he travels. His security also goes to extreme lengths to keep him safe. For this reason, the president drives in a $1.6million Maybach S600.
He is also surrounded by black-op security vehicles and countless others on motorcycles. There are also rumours that the president’s car is equipped with a toilet out of fear that some enemies will collect his stool samples to test for any diseases. Kim Jung-Un also owns a Range Rover LQ22, among others and usually selects cars based on where he travels. North Korea isn’t exactly a developed country, so the president has to travel in cars that can drive through tricky terrains.
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6. Malaysia
As with countries that produce cars, Malaysian government officials are required by law to drive in vehicles that were produced within the country. But that doesn’t mean they’re less expensive. The Malaysian Prime Minister travels in a stretched Proton Perdana, which features classified security measures to protect vehicle occupants. The car is worth RM 126,849 ($26,860.57). The PM also uses Proton Perdana Executive Limousine as an official car to transport within Klang Valley. In addition, he is escorted by a motorcade that comprises a team of Pasukan Gerakan Khas that use the armoured Volvo XC90, Proton X70, Honda CRV SUVs, Honda VFR800 and Kawasaki GTR bikes for the motorcade.
5. United Kingdom
Unlike the United States, the United Kingdom Prime Minister does not usually travel in a large convoy. This is probably because fewer threats to the PM’s safety are recorded than their counterparts in America. Although the new PM, Rishi Sunak, is the first to be richer than the Monarchy, with an estimated net worth of 730 million pounds ($830 million), much hasn’t changed about his convoy. The PM travels in Jaguar XJ Sentinel, which costs about £300,000, Range Rover sports (£72,185 per vehicle) and BMW 2016 R 1200 RT-P Motorcycles (£13,863 per vehicle).
4. China
It’s no news that China is one of the most economically developed countries in the world. This fact reflects in the presidential convoy of Xi Jinping. The President’s official car is an Audi which costs about $31.09 million. His convoy is essentially the same, so no one can tell which one the President is in. The interesting thing is the president only uses his convoy only in China. When he travels to other countries, he prefers to travel in transport provided by the host country.
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3. South Korea
When you live close to a known enemy, you’ll do everything possible to protect yourself. That’s the case of South Korea, the perennial enemy of nuclear weapon-loving North Korea. South Korea has one of the world’s most expensive and impressive presidential convoys. The president travels in a Hyundai NEXO SUV, Mercedez-Maybach WT22 S600 or Genesis EQ900. Each one is specifically designed and costs over a million dollars. The cars are bombproof, bulletproof, and fireproof, with communication and satellite activities. The President also travels with other teams like the security, press, medical teams, systems experts and a couple of decoys.
2. Russia
Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, is currently not in a good place to take his security for granted, which is why he has the world’s second most expensive presidential convoy. The president’s main vehicle is a custom-built Aurus Senat, a joint engineering project by the NAMI as part of the “Kortezh” project. The car is also equipped with many life-saving, offensive, and defensive measures based on the Federal Protective Service’s standards. The presidential convoy is usually made up of Ural or BMW motorcycles, Mercedes G-Class, Mercedes E-Class, S-Class, BMW 5 Series, Volkswagen Caravelle, and/or Chevrolet support vehicles. All are equipped with bulletproof, solid rubber tires and communication systems.
1. United States
The leader of the free country has the most impressive and expensive presidential convoys in the world. The president’s main car is called “the beast”, the nickname of a Cadillac with some serious upgrades that enable the president to travel in comfort, safety and ability to run the country effectively as if he was in the White House. The car has run-flat tires and an interior that was completely sealed to protect the occupants in the event of a chemical attack. It also has spare vials of blood in case the president is injured during an attack.
“The beast” alone is worth about $15 million, and it is accompanied by at least 23 vehicles carrying the president’s security, White House staff, advisers and medical team. Don’t forget the motorcycles driven by police officers that travel in the front and behind the convoy, popularly known as motorcades in the US.
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