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Yannis · 10-06-2005, 09:29 AM

BMW Gives Pope Benedict XVI a New X5 Sport-Utility Vehicle

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world's largest maker of luxury cars, said it's given Pope Benedict XVI, a German, an X5 sport-utility vehicle.

BMW, based in the German state of Bavaria where the pope grew up, presented the SUV at a ceremony at the Vatican yesterday, the carmaker said in a faxed statement today.

``We are proud to be able to provide Pope Benedict XVI with a BMW car,'' Michael Ganal, BMW's sales and marketing chief, said in the statement.

The pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, used to own a Golf car, produced by German carmaker Volkswagen AG, which EBay Germany auctioned off on line in May. GoldenPalace.com, an online casino, agreed in May to pay 188,939 euros ($227,889) for the 1999 gray metallic hatchback..

The German seller of the Golf, Benjamin Halbe, 21, bought the car from a dealer for 9,500 euros in January, not realizing it had belonged to the cardinal until he got the car's registration documents.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...&refer=germany

10-06-2005, 09:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
Yannis Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 7,198 My Mood: Thanks: 1,243 Thanked 1,231 Times in 703 Posts	BMW Gives Pope Benedict a New X5. BMW Gives Pope Benedict XVI a New X5 Sport-Utility Vehicle Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world's largest maker of luxury cars, said it's given Pope Benedict XVI, a German, an X5 sport-utility vehicle. BMW, based in the German state of Bavaria where the pope grew up, presented the SUV at a ceremony at the Vatican yesterday, the carmaker said in a faxed statement today. ``We are proud to be able to provide Pope Benedict XVI with a BMW car,'' Michael Ganal, BMW's sales and marketing chief, said in the statement. The pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, used to own a Golf car, produced by German carmaker Volkswagen AG, which EBay Germany auctioned off on line in May. GoldenPalace.com, an online casino, agreed in May to pay 188,939 euros ($227,889) for the 1999 gray metallic hatchback.. The German seller of the Golf, Benjamin Halbe, 21, bought the car from a dealer for 9,500 euros in January, not realizing it had belonged to the cardinal until he got the car's registration documents. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...&refer=germany