Latest Auto News Blog: Officially Official: Cadillac introduces the new presidential limo

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Government/Legal, Cadillac, Special/Limited Editions

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Cadillac Presidential Limousine

President Obama will inherit a lot of things when he takes the oath of office on Tuesday. So good, some... not so good. And while his new digs on Pennsylvania Avenue are the same as his predecessors, his ride has been thoroughly refreshed for the 21st century.

With fuzzy spy photos of the new presidential limo out in the open and Obama's inauguration less than a week away, Cadillac has finally released official photos of the Command-In-Chief's new ride. As expected, the new limo inherits Cadillac's current front- and rear-end design cues, but the overused fender vents on civilian Caddies are notably -- and thankfully -- absent. The back compartment where our new CIC sits is equipped with all the communications gear needed to stay in touch, and while we're picturing a few LCD screens, lots of buttons and a big red phone that silently rises from the center console, all we can do is imagine.

As expected, Cadillac hasn't released much in the way of details about what's underneath and inside the behemoth for security reasons. But speculation says that some of the General's heavy-duty truck platforms are used to support the immense mass of armor carried by the Cadillac Presidential Limousine. Of course, GM put out a press release that covers a few of the Caddy's features and includes a brief history of the automaker's involvement with shuttling Presidents around since World War I. Check it out after the jump, along with an unauthorized illustration of what you could find inside -- assuming your Secret Service application wasn't denied.

Gallery: 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine