'Maybach added to PM's security detail routine replacement'

New Delhi: Amid speculation on the price and other details of the Mercedes Maybach added to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security detail, government sources said on Wednesday that the new cars are not an upgrade but routine replacement as BMW had stopped making the model used for him earlier.

"The cars cost much less than the media speculation, in fact, it is about one-third of the price quoted in the media," an official source said. The price quoted for a Maybach car in a section of the media is over Rs 12 crore.

Official sources said the SPG security detail has a six-year norm to replace vehicles used for the protectee, and the previous cars were used for eight years under Modi, leading to an audit objection and comment that it was compromising the life of the protectee.