George's new car - Cadillac ONE

No-one knows exactly what George W Bush's new car can do. At least, no-one who really knows is telling. TV news reports say it's missile-proof, which is probably isn't true, despite unconfirmed reports that the body armour is five inches thick (cos the windows obviously aren't). Indeed secrecy is so tight around the new hand-built Presidential limousine that no-one can say how much it cost, how many there are, or anything more than the following "cleared information."

Cadillac is pretty happy about the new Cadillac - as far as celebrity endorsements go, they don't come any bigger, or more visible or more upmarket than this. The new car that carried President George W Bush during the United States Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20 was the first public showing of the company's 2006 model - or more correctly, "the new design direction" for the 2006 Cadillac DTS production model expected to go on sale in the third quarter of 2005.

It doesn't really matter - the last Presidential limo was a Cadillac and the next one will be too. It's standard protocol for the head of State to drive a vehicle from their country's most prestigious automotive manufacturer. In Britain, that's a Jaguar, and in many countries it's a shared gig - Peugeot and Renault in France, BMW and Mercedes in in Germany, and in Japan, Emperor Akihito is currently driven in a Nissan Prince Royal and there's a suitably up market Toyota under development.

In America, Cadillac has been building limousines and special vehicles for U.S. presidents, diplomats, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries since the early 1900s.

With a new design and unique construction under the skin, the new Cadillac DTS limousine is handcrafted and dressed in a jet-black clearcoat finish. The vehicle is a considerably longer, wider and taller version of the production model that becomes available later this year. For some reason, the exact dimensions are considered classified.

To maintain national security, the limousines are equipped with state-of-the-art protection and communication systems.

The vehicle interior boasts six-passenger seating with comfort and visibility for all occupants. A rear seat executive package features a concealed, foldaway desktop that can be deployed when conducting affairs of state. The rear seats have an adjustable reclining feature along with the adaptive seat system, which senses the position of the occupant in the seat and automatically adjusts the cushion for added comfort.

Moreover, rear seat passengers can enjoy their own premium sound system complete with a 10-disc CD changer. Wood accents, rich blue leather and cloth complete the executive interior.

An embroidered presidential seal is positioned in the center of the rear seat back panel, as well as on each rear door trim panel. Presidential seals are also affixed to the exterior rear doors.

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