As Brisbane prepares to host the G20, the Attorney General’s Department has invested heavily in a fleet of armoured vehicles for foreign dignitaries and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
A spokesperson from the Attorney General’s Department told
PWPro that the Australian Government has an obligation to provide armoured vehicles for foreign dignitaries at the G20 Summit.
“Following a tender process – during which both Australian and international companies were invited to quote – Mercedes Benz was selected to provide leased vehicles for the G20,” said the spokesperson.
Mercedes Benz Australia won the tender to supply the Attorney General’s department with 16 leased S600 Guard armoured vehicles at a cost of $1,793,258.
The S600 Guard vehicles have been delivered to Australia and handed over to the government.
A spokesperson from Mercedes-Benz said the company was not able to comment on the level of protection of the vehicles provided to the Australian Government.
Mercedes-Benz Guard has been producing protection vehicles for more than 80 years.
TopGear magazine recently reported on the S600 Guard series here.
The Australian Government also maintains a permanent fleet of armoured vehicles to transport domestic and foreign dignitaries.
“The current fleet is ageing and is being replaced with BMW high security vehicles,” said the AG Department spokesperson.
German car manufacturer BMW won the tender to supply the Attorney General’s department with a fleet of nine high security vehicles for $6,276,337.
Read more about BMW's Security Vehicles on the company website here.
“The full fleet of armoured vehicles for the G20 will be made up of a combination of Australia’s permanent fleet of armoured vehicles, and the 16 leased Mercedes Benz S-Guard vehicles.”
For security reasons, the AG spokesperson said the department was unable to comment on operational matters related to the use of the vehicles for the G20 summit.
Photos (from top): Mercedes Benz S600 Guard, BMW 7 Series Security Vehicle.