France President Emmanuel Macron has been relying on a Renault Espace for his official trips ever since moving to the Élysée Palace in Paris - France’s White House - in 2017. But it isn’t just an ordinary Espace like soccer moms use to shuttle their kids around – Macron’s is heavily armoured to keep him safe from danger including terrorist attacks. But, he was left rather embarrassed when his bullet proof MPV failed to start during a two-day state visit to Warsaw!
For his most official visits, the Espace has been his default ride but he might just be rethinking his options following the mishap in Poland earlier this month. The very first vehicle which he used for his inauguration was a DS 7 Crossback and he has also been seen in a Peugeot 5008 for the 2017 Bastille Day. It will be interesting to see if either of those are recommissioned for official use following the calamity which occurred after his meeting with Poland President Andrzej Duda. When Macron returned to the Espace to continue his state visit, a sudden change of plan was required by his security team when the fifth-generation Renault would not crank over.
A solution needed to be found, and quick, and as France’s Presidents always ride in French cars, a foreign car would not do. The French ambassador to Poland came to the rescue by offering Macron his Citroën C6 which he rode in to leave Poland’s presidential palace but it could have been a very risky move because his car was not armoured and offered Macron very little protection but fortunately, he made it to his next stop with no further incidents reported.
It seems even the President’s model isn’t immune to breaking down – after all, this particular generation Espace has often been criticized for having a poor reputation for reliability…
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