On the day of India’s 71st independence celebration at Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in his brand new motorcade with a fleet of SUVs for the SPG while the Prime Minister rolled up in 2010 Land Rover Range Rover HSE seated in the front passenger seat.
During his 15-year stint as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, his convoy consisted of the Indian made Mahindra Scorpio. At the time the SPG had used armoured Tata Safari and BMW X5 for the motorcade, while the Prime Minister of India was assigned the BMW 7 Series High Security. But when Narendra Modi came to power, the fleet was updated. The Prime Minister rolled up like a baller in his Range Rover, the SPG’s new fleet consisted of Toyota Fortuners and more Range Rovers. While there is no confirmation from the SPG as to the official reasons for the change, and usually the Prime Minister is counselled by the SPG regarding his/her transportation and with minimum flexibility in the name of safety, some reports have speculated certain factors for his choice of vehicle.
While the BMW 7 Series was a sedan, the Prime Minister moved to the Range Rover for the fact that it is an SUV. Arrive anywhere in a Range Rover is universally understood as a power move. Additionally, PM Modi has never shied away from the camera and has made it evident that he likes to be seen, which is why he prefers to sit in the front seat. While sitting in the front or the rear of the 7 Series gave minimal visibility inside, the Range Rover with its large glass housing, commanding tall and large size, offers a greater view of the Prime Minister seated in the front seat of the car.
The new exact SUV assigned to PM Modi is an armoured version of the 2010 Range Rover HSE which as standard is powered by a Jaguar-sourced 5.0-litre, supercharged V8 engine which generates 375bhp and 508Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox which sends the power to the four-wheel drive system and is limited to 218km/h.
