The next President of the United States will get a new, high-tech company car.

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The next President of the United States will get a new, high-tech company car.

The United States Secret Service has confirmed that it is tendering for a new presidential limousine to replace the current high-security Cadillac that is known as "The Beast".

The luxury division of General Motors has provided the Presidential limousine for almost 30 years, but the Secret Service has opened the bidding to all American car makers to create a high-tech replacement that implements the latest in security and automotive technologies.

While details of the requirements remain top-secret, it is believed that Chrysler and Ford have both expressed interest in challenging Cadillac for the right to create one of the world's most high-security, high-profile limousines.



"We do not discuss specifics of design, dimensions, features or capabilities of the presidential limousine," a spokesman for the US Secret Service, Max Milien, told the New York Daily News.

However, Millian did confirm the agency is looking to improve on the already high level of security provided by the Beast, which has been in service since 2009.

"The United States Secret Service is always looking at incorporating emerging technologies and improving our design processes wherever possible to afford the highest level of protection," added Milien.

The tender process will reportedly involve four development phases; the first of which involves the development of the armour, the second is the integration of the armour onto the proposed vehicle, the third is testing and evaluation and the final phase is the construction. The bidding process is open until the end of August 2014 with the Secret Service then anticipating "receipt of the first redesigned presidential limousine later this decade."

The Beast is the first Presidential limousine that does not bear any resemblance to a production model. While it has clear Cadillac design cues, the seven-seat stretched limousine is a special one-off that is said to weigh more than 4.5-tonnes and uses a heavy-duty truck chassis as its base.

The current car is powered by a gas-guzzling V8 engine that is said to consume fuel at a rate of around 30L/100km - which is around the same as a V8 Supercar at full noise - but it expected the Beast's replacement will adopt some form of hybrid propulsion to assist with its low-speed performance.

The car is said to be able to withstand attacks from conventional artillery and bombs as well as chemical weapons thanks to a sealed cabin complete with its own oxygen supply. The car also reportedly carries a supply of the president's blood in the boot in the event of an incident and has an advanced night vision system.
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