5 Toyota Models Used As Presidential Cars And State Limousines

When you're the head of an entire country, or at least a very important person in its government, it's kind of a given that you're going to get a few perks. One of those perks is the privilege of riding around in spiffy cars, whether you're going to meetings, making appearances, or traveling out of the country. Presidential and state-owned vehicles must be of the highest quality, not only to ensure the safety of the individual in question, but also their comfort. After all, just about any politician in the world does quite a bit of traveling on a regular basis, and if they're not at least comfortable, they'll run themselves ragged.

Most cars driven by important people are luxury brands like Cadillac or Mercedes Benz. In fact, the current limousine that carries the President of the United States, nicknamed "the Beast," is a Cadillac. However, beyond the United States, many other major automotive brands get to take the stage as the personal carriers of prominent politicians. One such brand is Toyota, the manufacturer of cars owned by Presidents, utilized by defensive motorcades, and marketed to Prime Ministers and Emperors.

Of course, since Toyota is a born-and-raised Japanese brand, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it has a seat at one of the highest tables on its home turf, that of the Emperor. While the Emperor of Japan doesn't have much influence over the country's policies, having any kind of influence on his life is still a monumental honor, which is why it reflects quite well on Toyota to have created a vehicle just for the current figurehad, Emperor Naruhito.

Prior to the coronation of Emperor Naruhito in 2019 and the official beginning of the Reiwa era, Toyota presented the new monarch with a one of a kind customized Century convertible, which he would ride in during his coronation parade. The Century is a regular face amongst Japanese royalty, with the country's royal family owning several Century limousines to ride around in. It's a requirement of all vehicles provided to the Japanese royal family that the original production car must be manufactured on Japanese soil, so Toyota was all too happy to step up to the plate when the opportunity presented itself.

One of the most common sights around many of the world's politicians is the Toyota Land Cruiser. As a naturally beefy vehicle, the Land Cruiser makes a great buffer for state and presidential motorcades, encircling VIP vehicles and protecting them from ne'er-do-wells. This is one of many reasons that Land Cruisers have become one of Toyota's most valuable models, whether old or new. Usually, armored and enhanced Land Cruisers will follow and cover a politician's vehicle, but on occasion, the VIP may ride in a Land Cruiser themselves. There's no safer place than inside an armored car, after all.

One such example of this could be seen back in 2022 with the inauguration of Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Marcos was originally driven to the inauguration event in a Mercedes Benz, but afterward, he was brought to Malacañang Palace in a Toyota Land Cruiser LC200 with a distinctive "1" stamped on the license plate. Japanese-made SUVs have become something of a favorite with Philippines Presidents, with Marcos' immediate predecessors riding in vehicles made by both Toyota and its subdivision, Lexus.

The Toyota Corolla has long been one of the brand's most reliable models, getting its start all the way back in the 1960s and going strong ever since. Compared to the likes of the Century and the Land Cruiser, the Corolla has never exactly been the vehicle of the stars (barring perhaps an odd ad campaign in 2011 starring virtual popstar Hatsune Miku), but the vehicle does have its adherents. One of those adherents just so happens to be Alberto Fernández, former President of Argentina.

During his inauguration in 2019, then-President Fernández arrived on the scene in a humble gray Toyota Corolla, having been escorted by the San Martín Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers from his home in Puerto Madero over to the Congress building. To clarify, Fernández was not driven in a state-sponsored Corolla; he drove himself in his personal Corolla which, as far as available information indicates, had not received any particular safety modifications. If you want to get technical about it, it wasn't a Presidential vehicle until Fernández was actually sworn in. A bold move for an incumbent President, to be sure.

Jamaica is mostly BMW's turf, with those at the top of the country's government like the Prime Minister and Governor General driving hefty vehicles like the 740Li. The Prime Minister has also been spotted in a handful of Land Rover vehicles. Of course, no country can afford to have luxury vehicles for every politician down the ladder, so for the island nation's various ministers, the vehicle of choice is the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, a spin-off of the main Land Cruiser family.

The Land Cruiser Prado is a slightly lighter-duty vehicle than the main Land Cruiser, still packing a large seating space and powerful performance without being a full-on security vehicle like the mainline model. Since the mid-2010s, those in positions like Education Minister and Cabinet Minister have driven Toyota Land Cruiser Prados. Of 22 vehicles purchased in 2018 for use by various Jamaican Ministers, more than half of those were Land Cruiser Prados.

Back in 2017, the government of Laos was looking to pick up some extra money, as well as cut operational costs in general. One such sector that it looked to make a little more reasonable was vehicles used by the country's leaders for both official and personal trips. In prior years, politicians had been riding in luxurious cars like Mercedes Benzes, which had fostered some concerns of corruption in the populace. To alleviate these concerns and generate some cash, the Laotian government auctioned off 14 luxury vehicles previously used by its leaders, and replaced them with a set of Toyota Camrys.

Compared to the hefty BMW and Mercedes vehicles previously being used by the country's politicians, the Camrys were much more modest, boasting lowering maintenance costs that would pose less of a risk to the government's bottom line. Members of Laos' ruling political party received Camry 3.0 and 3.5 models to drive around in, while members of the country's other major political parties received Camry 2.0 and 2.5 models.