U.S. Secret Service Met With GM To Discuss Next-Gen Armored SUVs

According to a post on the @SecretService X account, the United States Secret Service recently met with GM executives to discuss future armored SUVs for the federal law enforcement agency. The photos in the X post imply that this meeting took place in the GM Global Design Center in Warren, Michigan.

“Countering evolving threats require us to constantly explore new innovations and improvements to our armored fleet of protective vehicles,” the X post reads. “Director Sean Curran met with GM executives to discuss advancements that could benefit the next generation of armored SUVs.”

The most prominently featured vehicle in the post is an armored version of the Cadillac Escalade full-size luxury SUV. It bears the characteristic American flag and U.S. Presidential Seal flag on the front fenders. Judging by the wheels and the hidden armor, it presumably rides on an HD chassis, similar to the GM Defense Suburban Shield.

Naturally, the President of the United States requires the protection of an armored Suburban with the luxury of an Escalade, making GM’s full-size luxury SUV a perfect candidate for such a vehicle.

GM Defense Suburban Shield

The president’s primary ride is the Presidential Limousine, affectionately nicknamed “The Beast,” of which its next generation is currently in development. It’s a stretch Escalade with little in common with the production Escalade. The Secret Service often uses full-size SUVs as support vehicles, sometimes to transport the president and his family. That’s likely what we’re looking at with this presidential-looking Cadillac Escalade.

“We are too far out to speak to any specific costs or dates,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Reuters when asked when next-gen vehicles for the president and his motorcade will be ready for service. “Our engineering, protective operations, and technical security teams work for years to develop the state-of-the-art framework that is used to produce these highly advanced vehicles.”