The Secret Service routingly works with GM for new vehicles “based on the terrain and based on the threat environment”
The US Secret Service is working alongside General Motors Defense for new vehicles that will have better off-road abilities and better blend in to their surroundings than those currently in use. While many details about the Secret Service’s plans understandably remain under wraps, it’s possible the vehicles could share similarities to the military models that GM Defense currently builds.
Most of the vehicles operated by the agency are heavily customized and armored Chevrolet Suburbans painted black and looking like the ones you could buy off a lot. However, while big SUVs like this make sense in the US, they’re perhaps a little too conspicuous in some countries.
Read: NATO Forces Might Soon Roll With This Unrecognizable Chevy Pickup
According to Secret Service director Sean Curran, the department consistently works alongside GM Defense on new vehicles “based on the terrain, based on the threat environment, and just our needs.” He noted the new vehicle would be well-suited to regions like Africa if designed to better blend in, rather than stand out like its current Suburbans.
Curran failed to provide specifics about the new project while speaking with Car and Driver. However, there’s a chance that the new vehicles could share similarities with the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) from GM Defense that’s based around the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. There’s also a possibility it could be based on GM’s Light Utility Vehicle (LUV), which is based on the Silverado HD and currently built for the Canadian Armed Forces.
One vehicle that from the GM Defense stable that probably won’t be in the running is the GMC Hummer EV-based eMCV presented a couple of years ago. While an EV may make sense for a certain kind of military operations, we venture a guess that they won’t be the best option for far away places due to their limitations, especially regarding their range and the need for a recharge instead of a refuel.
There’s also a possibility that the Secret Service and GM Defense are working on an all-new platform developed from the ground up, although such an option would obviously be quite expensive and require much more time to be deployed than using an existing architecture.
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