Pope Francis will use the vehicle, currently in the hands of the Secret Service, for a trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia.
DETROIT, MI - Pope Francis is not big on luxury, and when he visits the U.S. next month he will not be in a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce or even a Mercedes-Benz.
Instead, the pontiff is opting for a modified Jeep Wrangler, the Washington Post reports.
Pope Francis will use the vehicle, currently in the hands of the Secret Service, for a trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia.
It makes sense that he won't be cruising through those locales in a Ferrari. In 2013, Pope Francis spoke out against priests or nuns having flashy rides.
From Reuters:
"It hurts me when I see a priest or a nun with the latest model car, you can't do this," he said. "A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world."
The Jeep Wrangler and its predecessors have been built in Toledo since the 1940s. The SUV may not be flashy, but it certainly is popular.
Through the first half of 2015, sales of the Jeep Wrangler are up 19 percent annually to 102,450 units, and it has been a consistent seller for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.