Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be traveling in a highly secured Mercedes-Mayback S650 guard armoured cars, sources have said. As reports of PM's new armoured cars surfaced, many media reports carried that the new vehicles have been brought at a very high price.
However, refuting rumours around the cost over the highly secured vehicles, sources around have said that the new Mercedes-Maybach S650 guard-armoured cars cost 'a third' of the range of prices being quoted in various reports, according to ANI.
Earlier, reports mentioned that the new vehicles have been brought for a price over to Rs 12 crore, however, sources told ANI that the cost of the highly secured Merc-Mayback line-up are not that much.
Mercedes-Maybach S650 security features
The sophisticated car Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard which has been included in PM Modi's cavalcade can survive bullets and explosive blast, the sources in the security set up said.
PM Modi was first spotted with the new car at Hyderabad House in Delhi while welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was on a two-day visit to India on December 6 this year and also it was spotted in the convoy in the rally recently.
According to reports, the new vehicle is certified with VR10-level protection providing the highest level of protection and the car windows are coated with polycarbonate which can withstand hardened steel core bullets. Laced with the 2010 Explosion Proof Vehicle rating, it is a specialised vehicle which offers protection of occupants from a 15 kg TNT explosion within the perimeter of only two meters.
The S650 Guard has a 6.0 litre twin-turbo V12 engine that produces 516 bhp and a peak torque of approximately 900 Nm while the maximum speed has been capped to 160 kmph. The vehicle's lower part is heavily armoured to protect the occupants from direct explosions while the cabin of the car has been designed in such a way that during a gas attack, the occupant will get air supply.
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This armoured car is also equipped with special run-flat tyres that will continue to function in case of damage or puncture to ensure a quick escape from the danger areas.
The decision to get a new armoured car was taken after the security review of the Prime Minister by the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) which decided to add this highly acclaimed Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard.
PM Modi used to travel in the Range Rover Vogue and the Toyota Land Cruiser since he assumed office of the Prime Minister while he used modified Mahindra Bolero when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
(With inputs from IANS)
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