The Gore-mobile

MANILA, Philippines - Former US Vice President Al Gore isn’t the first big name foreign dignitary to make it to Philippine shores. Neither is he the first to come over with the mission to save the world. That distinction might go to the late Pope John Paul II who, in 1995, came over to lead the World Youth Day celebrations.

Car nuts who were already around back then might recall the extremely popular Pope-mobile. Local jeepney manufacturer Francisco Motors built the Pope-mobile, which had to conform to standards set by the Vatican for the Pope’s use during outdoor public appearances following an assassination attempt in 1981. Francisco Motors’ version was funded by voluntary contributions from the private sector and had bulletproof windows, bombproof parts and passed inspection by the Swiss Guard.

Now, far be it for us to compare the extremely sound moral battles that both men have waged in their own ways, but if the Pope’s automobile was in itself a newsmaker in its day, we’d think Mr. Gore’s choice of automobile is of particular interest as well – if only amongst those who are curious if he does indeed, like he claims, “not just talk the talk, but also walk the walk”. Well, here’s fact. Mr. Gore, at least in his choice of vehicle, does not lie.

Several months back, we drove CATS Motors’ crown jewel, the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, from Bicol to somewhere in the Quezon province. My passenger for that ride was no less than CATS Motors president Felix Ang. Through the more than a couple of hours drive, you could imagine we’d discussed quite a number of topics, not the least of which was Mr. Gore’s then up-coming visit. At the time, Ang revealed that the car that I was driving then was the same car that would ferry Mr. Gore around Metro Manila. I thought it was an excellent choice even then.

As this generation’s environmental champion, and for a dignitary of his stature, the S400 Hybrid is the only logical choice for Mr. Gore. The only other Hybird car available from a local manufacturer is the Toyota Prius. And as good a car as the Toyota Prius is, it’s not the kind you’d use to drive a former Vice President of the United States in. There are a few gray market importers of Hybrid cars like the Toyota Camry... but let’s face it, that would be like giving the man a pirated CD of one of our local artists as a souvenir. It just wouldn’t sit well.

So, was Mr. Gore pleased with his Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid ride? Well, he was in and out of the country in 24 hours so it would be hard to have gotten that from him. But I’ll tell you this much... given how that car rides and combined with the fact that it’s got such an intelligent earth-friendly system, we’d be extremely surprised if he found the car wanting. Besides, if it’s good enough for Mother Earth, it’s got to be good enough for her champion, right?