DETROIT − General Motors executives met with the head of the U.S. Secret Service in Michigan this week to discuss building a new presidential limousine, the agency said on social media Friday.
The news comes just days after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged people to buy Tesla stock and about a week after President Donald Trump touted the virtues of Tesla and sat inside several vehicles with the company’s billionaire CEO Elon Musk on the White House South Lawn.
A GM spokesman said the company would not comment on current or future government contracts.
The Secret Service said on social media site X that Director Sean Curran met with GM “to discuss advancements that could benefit the next generation of armored SUVs.”
A Secret Service spokesman confirmed for the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Friday it had contracted with GM to produce a new presidential limousine, though it declined to discuss how the vehicle might differ from the current one or offer other details about Curran's discussions with GM.
"The U.S. Secret Service is always exploring emerging technology to enhance our protective operations," said Nate Herring, lead public affairs specialist for the Secret Service. "Director Curran’s visit to the General Motors Tech Center in Warren was to discuss new advancements that could benefit the next generation of armored SUVs. The U.S. Secret Service employs a variety of vehicle platforms.
"Due to operational security, we are unable to discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations," he added.
In September, the Homeland Security Department and Secret Service awarded GM a $14.8 million contract for development of a next-generation presidential limousine. The contract could be worth up to $40.8 million through 2029. Presidential limousines are nicknamed “The Beast,” a term first used in 2001 , in reference to the limo used by President George W. Bush.
The last vehicle constructed for presidents debuted one year into Trump's first administration .
The Secret Service said that 2018 custom-built Cadillac, modeled after the Cadillac CT6, entered the presidential fleet and shuttled Trump around New York to United Nations General Assembly meetings. The Beast had a twin that traveled in Trump's Washington, D.C., motorcade.
The 22,000-pound, armored Cadillac built on a heavy-duty truck chassis, powered by a diesel engine and armor 8 inches thick, was reportedly worth millions.
Since the early 1980s, the presidential limo has been a Cadillac.
GM won contracts worth $15.8 million for two phases of the development of the limo from 2014 through 2017, Reuters reported, citing federal contracting records. In 2010, GM won a $35 million contract from the Secret Service for more presidential limousines.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com .
This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Next-gen 'Beast': GM to build Trump's new presidential limousine