Autoblog

2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV

Chris Paukert — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, First Drives, Police/Emergency

Anything But A Trivial Pursuit

There's something inherently satisfying about using a blunt force object for its exact purpose, be it ripping the cover off a baseball with a Louisville Slugger or bonking one of those animatronic pop-up varmints with a rubber mallet at the local arcade. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there's something equally satisfying about using a precise tool designed for an exact purpose, be it a Montblanc pen or a pickle fork. With the introduction of its 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV, General Motors is betting that law enforcement customers are willing to trade-in the former brand of satisfaction for the latter.

For decades now, an overwhelming majority of America's policemen and women have relied on the four-wheeled equivalent of a blunt object, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, as a primary tool in combating crime. Stubbornly resistant to change since its introduction during the Carter administration, the Crown Vic proudly rode its pig iron and scrimshaw frame into retirement earlier this month, a victim of growing legislative hurdles and slowing sales. Yet despite - or perhaps because of - its antiquated technology and crude construction, precincts far and wide have been clawing over each other to secure the last few examples.

GM believes it has a better way: 2012 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. Company officials say they are so cognizant of the unique needs of law enforcement that they've designed and built this special pursuit vehicle specifically for their use. GM has divulged no plans to park a civilian version in your Bowtie showroom and you won't be seeing them in New York yellow, either. This is a purpose-built piece of kit. Of course, the truth is a bit more complicated than that. The Caprice PPV is actually a lightly modified version of GM's long-wheelbase Zeta sedans that are marketed in Australia as the Holden Caprice and in the Middle East as... well, a Chevy Caprice. GM recently offered ordinary U.S. consumers a shorter Zeta, in the form of the well liked but short-lived Pontiac G8, but it expired when its brand was shuttered.

GM invited us out to its Proving Grounds to play cops and robbers on the very same day that the pilot light was going out at Ford's Crown Vic plant. Coincidence? Rather than mull the question, we hightailed it out to Milford, Michigan to live out our childhood policeman fantasies and file this report.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV

2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mopar's Dodge Charger Pursuit police car says "Respect Mah Authoritah!"

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Dodge, Police/Emergency

A Dodge Charger Pursuit police car is a rather unwelcome sign in your rearview mirror. Especially if you've got an eye towards criminal pursuits and a mind to press your luck and your throttle pedal to make a run for it. Now, you better ask yourself... do you feel lucky, punk? Do you? We know what you're thinking. Is that Mopar-equipped Dodge Charger carrying the 292-horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, or does it have the 390-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V8 under the hood?

Either way, this new Dodge cop car has a slew of features handed down from the minds at Mopar, including slide-out trunk trays, trunk ventilation (to keep expensive electronics cool), a 100-watt siren, and upgraded electrical systems. Dodge is offering police officers the choice of one of six quick-order packages so America's various law enforcement divisions can get the car that fits the job. In addition to the pre-prepped vehicles, Mopar is offering 24 more items that an officer might want to make his cruiser even more battle ready.

Click past the jump to go through the full list of Mopar options for Dodge's new Charger Pursuit police car.

Continue reading Mopar's Dodge Charger Pursuit police car says "Respect Mah Authoritah!"

Mopar's Dodge Charger Pursuit police car says "Respect Mah Authoritah!" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

What the fashionable detective will be driving this fall

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, GM, Police/Emergency

Anybody can buy a cop car. The roadway is littered with clapped-out Chevrolet Caprice cruisers that cause motorists to instinctively to slam on the brakes while the driver rolls smugly on by. Not everybody can pick up a brand-new 2011 Chevrolet Caprice cop car, however, but a few dealers actually have them in stock.

A reader (Thanks, Manzer!) managed to spy one wearing the Detective Package guise - complete with tinted windows - and sent in a few pics of the updated Caprice parked at in a nearby lot. While we are sad because it reminds of the gone-too-soon Pontiac G8, we're happy that we might someday be able to pick up a used one for far less than the nearly $32,000 price tag these command when new.

What do you get for all that coin? Well the average Joe Citizen gets exactly nothing, since you can't officially buy one since General Motors closed a contractual loophole with its dealers that saw a few examples selling to civilian buyers. Johnny Law, however, gets lights hidden in the front grille and rear window, a modest cloth interior and Police Performance mode as part of the Stabilitrak system. The best part lies under the hood, though, as this cruiser comes equipped with a 6.0-liter V8 engine that produces 355 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque.

Do you happen to wear a badge and desire a new ride to stop the baddies? Check out the listings at Jim Ellis Chevrolet in Atlanta, Georgia for a few options to put on your shopping list.

What the fashionable detective will be driving this fall originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Beatboxing cop car can pull you over by way of a song

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:32:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Safety, Videos, Dodge, Police/Emergency

Doug E. Fresh, Swifty, Buffy and Wise were the pioneers. Rahzell, Wes Carroll and Gavin Tyte moved it into the modern era, and Beardyman is moving it into the future. What the hell are we talking about? The art of beatboxing, of course.

A new challenger has arrived to take on the kings of vocal percussion. Actually, this challenger is a Charger - a Dodge Charger police car to be exact. The car's emergency sirens have been programmed to "beat box." (We put that term in quotes so as not to offend the people we listed above). Click past the jump to see and hear the car in action.

Continue reading Beatboxing cop car can pull you over by way of a song

Beatboxing cop car can pull you over by way of a song originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LA Sheriff's Department tests new police cruisers, compiles findings in 174-page report

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Police/Emergency

2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car - Click above for high-res image gallery

Curious about the latest crop of cop cars? The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department - which undoubtedly has good reason to be interested in such machines - has released a bit of data to help clue you in on the newest cruisers. California's Boys in Blue put 15 vehicles through rigorous testing, and they ended up with a rather large stack of results. How large are we talking?

174 pages.

We thought cops hated paperwork, but it appears the movie industry has again lied to us. Those 174 pages are filled with stats on all 15 test vehicles, officer insight into vehicle performance and results from the various types of tests applied.

We'll be honest... we've only skimmed. We're not quite ready to take a deep dive into this particular PDF, however, it's available for you to peruse at the LA County Sheriff's Department website, should you have some time to kill.

LA Sheriff's Department tests new police cruisers, compiles findings in 174-page report originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 May 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV Detective package details uncovered

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Police/Emergency

2011 Chevrolet Caprice Delective Package - Click above for high-res gallery

A new generation of police cruisers is afoot. We've already seen the likes of Ford's Taurus-based Police Interceptor up close, and we've even seen General Motors opens the floodgates with a full raft of images of its Caprice PPV. While Ford has opted to use its EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 for high-powered police action, Chevrolet has taken a more traditional approach, fitting the Caprice with a 6.0-liter V8 cranking out 355 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

We already knew what to expect for the standard police-spec Caprice, but we've been extra curious about the special "Detective package" that adds some plainclothes stealthiness to the Caprice, especially as it seems to hint at what the oft-rumored civilian version of this car might look like. It's available in seven different colors (we'll just stick with black, thanks), uses all the same mechanical underpinnings as the standard Police PPV, and for the moment at least, remains unavailable in a retail model for John Q. Public.

Be sure to scroll through the gallery below to check out the entire PDF of the Caprice PPV's features.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Technical Manual

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

[Source: General Motors via GM Inside News]

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV Detective package details uncovered originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Charting the Five-Ohs: Next-gen Cop Car Comparo

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM, Police/Emergency

It used to be that every full-line American automaker offered a version of its mainstream full-size sedan to make it appropriate for police duty. By the time 1996 rolled around, the Chevrolet Caprice, which was the last would-be competitor to the standard-setting Ford Crown Victoria, was discontinued, leaving the lucrative police market to the Blue Oval Boys.

The automotive industry took notice, and plans began in corporate board rooms to remedy that situation, and even a few new entrants - most notably Carbon Motors - sprung up with promising designs that eschewed the mainstream production-based sedan design.

In 2005, Dodge rolled out a factory police package for its full-size Charger sedan, and for the first time in a decade the Crown Victoria faced some stiff V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive competition. Then in 2009, Chevrolet announced that its new Zeta platform Caprice would be returning for the 2011 model year packing a strong 6.0-liter V8 of its own.

How would Ford answer this newly mounted competition? Would the aging Panther-based Crown Vic finally get an update? Nope. Instead, Ford just recently announced that it would soon offer a highly ruggedized version of its most recent Taurus sedan, optionally equipped with the stout 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 engine powering all four wheels as seen in the revived Taurus SHO.

We decided to see for ourselves how the three new competitors stacked up against the old guard Crown Vic on paper, and as you can see, there's little to separate each offering on the spec sheets. It should prove interesting to see how police agencies react to these choices, especially since reliability and durability will be mostly unknown factors for the first time in ages. See for yourself.


	Ford Crown Vic	Ford Taurus	Dodge Charger	Chevrolet Caprice
Availability	Forever	Late 2011	2005 - Present	2011
Type	Four-door, body on frame	Four-door, enhanced unibody	Four-door, unibody	Four-door, unibody
Engine	4.6L V8	3.5L V6 Twin-turbo 3.5L V6	5.7L Hemi V8	6.0L V8
Power	250 horsepower	263 horsepower 365 horsepower	368 horsepower	355 horsepower
Torque	297 lb-ft	249 lb-ft 350 lb-ft	395 lb-ft	385 lb-ft
Fuel Economy	14 City / 21 Highway	18 City / 28 Highway (2010 Ford Taurus FWD) 17 City / 25 Highway (2010 Ford Taurus SHO AWD)	16 City / 25 Highway	15 City / 24 Highway (2009 Pontiac G8 GT)
Driveline	Rear-Wheel	Front or All-Wheel	Rear-Wheel	Rear-Wheel
Shifter	Column	Column	Column	Console
Wheels	17-inch steel	18-inch steel	18-inch steel	18-inch steel
Brakes	Four-Wheel Discs	Four-Wheel Discs	Four-Wheel Discs	Four-Wheel Discs
Cop Brakes	Y	Y	Y	Y
Cop Suspension	Y	Y	Y	Y
Cop Cooling	Y	Y	Y	Y
Seats	Front - Cloth Rear - Vinyl Bench	Front - Cloth Rear - Vinyl Bench	Front - Cloth Rear - Cloth Bench	Front - Cloth Rear - Vinyl Bench
Interior Volume	106.4 Cubic Feet	102.3 Cubic Feet	104 Cubic Feet	112 Cubic Feet
Trunk Space	20.6 Cubic Feet	20.1 Cubic Feet	16.2 Cubic Feet	18 Cubic Feet
Special Features	Overwhelming Ubiquity Tough as nails Capable of withstanding 75-mph rear impact	Seats with downsized lateral bosters, cut-outs for utility belts Ford SYNC Safety Canopy(R) side-curtain air bag Rollover protection system Customizable steering-wheel switches Rear doors swing 71-degrees Capable of withstanding 75-mph rear impact BLIS(R) (Blind Spot Information System) Cross Traffic Alert Rear View Camera System Reverse Sensing System	160-mph (certified) calibrated speedometer AM/FM radio with CD player, changer controls, four speakers and clock with auxiliary audio input jack Load-leveling, height-control shock absorbers Independently switched red/white LED dome lamp	Seats with downsized lateral boosters, cutouts for utility belts In-dash touch-screen computer technology Driver information center in the instrument cluster with selectable speed tracking feature

Charting the Five-Ohs: Next-gen Cop Car Comparo originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BREAKING: First images of Ford's new Taurus-based Police Interceptor revealed!

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:10:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Ford, Specialty

2012 Ford Police Interceptor - Click above for high-res image gallery

Later today, Ford will officially unveil its new Police Interceptor at a private fleet sales event in Las Vegas, but the first images of the new vehicle were posted this morning on the company's website. As has been rumored for some time, Ford will be adapting the Taurus to take over for the aged Crown Victoria, which is finally being euthanized in September 2011.

At this point, we don't have any mechanical details on the new cop car. We wouldn't be surprised if Ford offers the Interceptor in two forms: a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 version with front-wheel drive could serve for all those local applications like liaison officers, supervisors, etc. where extra performance is not needed. The true Interceptors for highway patrol applications will probably use the SHO powertrain with the 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 and all-wheel drive.

This twin-turbo cop car would provide the first real performance challenge to the increasingly popular Dodge Charger while likely getting much better fuel economy (not to mention GM's upcoming V8-powered, RWD, Zeta-based cruiser), and we presume that the Blue Oval will field the new units with the obligatory upgrades, including a more robust suspension, cooling system, electrical system and, hopefully, brakes. We should have all the answers for you around lunch time.

Gallery: 2012 Ford Police Interceptor

[Source: Ford]

BREAKING: First images of Ford's new Taurus-based Police Interceptor revealed! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Lamborghini Gallardo cop car crashes in Italy thanks to careless driver

Chris Shunk — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Lamborghini

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia is a very capable police cruiser that just happens to also be an extremely desirable Italian exotic. How many police cruisers can go 200 mph while toting a vital organ in its specially made refrigerated storage? While Lambo and the Italian State Police thought of all kinds of neat amenities to make the LP560-4 the perfect cruiser, they neglected to install an idiot detection device and now they're paying the ultimate price.

One of two Gallardo LP560-4 Polizias is ready for the scrap heap after a careless Seat Ibiza driver pulled out of a gas station without first looking for $200,000 police car. The undoubtedly surprised driver of the Gallardo swerved to avoid the oblivious one and smashed into a row of parked cars. The wedge-like Gallardo hit the cars so hard that one vehicle actually ended up on top (see above) of the ultimate Pig-mobile, crushing the front end. Luckily, the police officer and his passenger were unhurt in the incident. Ironically, the police issue Gallardo was on its way home from a safe driving seminar when the accident occurred.

What a bummer. The cop driving the car was one of 20 officers specially trained to handle the Gallardo's awesome V10 power. Now that the world's neatest police cruiser is scrap-worthy, he'll likely have to go back to driving a Fiat. Thanks for the tips, everyone!!

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia

[Source: Guardian | Image: YouReporter.IT]

REPORT: Lamborghini Gallardo cop car crashes in Italy thanks to careless driver originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Fritz Henderson to Autoblog: Chevy Caprice is being looked at as "police application"

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Police/Emergency

Ever since General Motors announced this spring that it was killing the Pontiac brand as part of its restructuring, fans of the Holden-developed G8 sedan have been clamoring to save it as a Chevrolet. After company officials repeatedly said over the past two months that no such thing would happen, Bob Lutz re-lit the fire last week in one of his first pronouncements after un-retiring. Lutz proclaimed that the G8 would indeed become a new Chevrolet Caprice.

During our first drive of the new Buick LaCrosse this week, we had the opportunity on one of the legs to ride with GM CEO Fritz Henderson, and we pressed him for more details on the Caprice plan. Unfortunately it turns out Henderson brought his portable fire extinguisher with him, telling us:

We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

Henderson also threw a soaking wet blanket on the idea of adding production to Oshawa alongside the Camaro, saying that the cars will continue to be sourced from Australia. So, for the moment, it looks like Zeta sedan fans will probably have to be content with taking a Blues Brothers approach to the problem: Buying their next car as a decommissioned black-and-white.

[Image: GoAuto]

Fritz Henderson to Autoblog: Chevy Caprice is being looked at as "police application" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

South Yorkshire police enlist Mitsubishi Evo X in the force

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Mitsubishi, Police/Emergency, UK

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Police Evo X

The South Yorkshire police just added a ten to their squad. No, that's not a sexist statement about some new hire, it's a reference to the new Mitsubishi Evolution X they just added to the fleet. Joining an already-intimidating Evo VIII and IX in the motorpool is a specially equipped X that should help keep the Road Crime Unit (RCU) ahead of the baddies. The Evo X should be more than adequate for tracking down drug dealers and car thieves by itself, but deployed as a pack, the trio of Evos will probably scare scofflaws into simply giving up the chase.

The new Evolution X squad car will also be fitted with an onboard Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, which allows officers to "check who the vehicle is registered to and if there is anything remotely suspicious about the vehicle." So it even does a bit of detective work, too. This sounds like just about the perfect pursuit and apprehend vehicle. While it's no Lamborghini LP560-4, it's no i MIEV either. Looks a bit like that Carbon Motors E7, but it's a proven platform with SUPER ARREST POTENTIAL! There's a full press release after the jump and a small gallery of high-res pics available below.

Gallery: South Yorkshire Police Evolution X

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Continue reading South Yorkshire police enlist Mitsubishi Evo X in the force

South Yorkshire police enlist Mitsubishi Evo X in the force originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kuwait orders 150 Dodge Charger police cars

Michael Harley — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:03:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Chrysler, Dodge, Police/Emergency, Middle East

Click above for high-res gallery of the Kuwaiti cop-issue Chargers

Choosing them for their portrayed image of "strength and power," officials in Kuwait have ordered 150 Dodge Chargers to be modified as police vehicles. As the Charger is the leading volume vehicle for Chrysler LLC in the Middle East, the choice doesn't come as much of a surprise. Delivery of the cop cars, however, isn't expected to take place for another couple months. In the meantime, the lot of them are heading to Canfield Equipment Service in Michigan where they'll be fitted for their new Kuwaiti roles in traffic, security, and emergency response. (Here's hoping none of our readers get a chance to check them out from the back seat once they're in service).

Gallery: Dodge Charger Kuwait Police

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Kuwait orders 150 Dodge Charger police cars

Kuwait orders 150 Dodge Charger police cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Make my day: Corvette ZR1 police car

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:07:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Supercars, Chevrolet, Police/Emergency

Bob Lutz has just posted a photochop on his GM Fastlane Blog of what the Corvette ZR1 could look like donning Michigan State Police livery. Bound to be the bane of speeders in the Wolverine state, the Corvette is sporting all the cop car traits necessary to scare the living Hell out of law breakers, including the prerequisite light bar, bumper guard (!) and spotlights. We, however, are particularly partial to the blacked out 20-spoke rollers. Despite lacking nanotechnology and more spoiler blades than a Cuisinart, we think this imaginary ZR1 cop car could give the new sci fi-inspired GT500KR-based KITT car a run for its money.

UPDATE: GM let us know this is not a prototype or anything official that implies a ZR1 cop car would actually be built. Someone sent this photoshopped pic of the ZR1 cop car to Lutz and he liked it enough to throw it up on his blog, much to the surprise of the PR department who didn't know anything about when we called.

[Source: GM Fastlane Blog]

Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Make my day: Corvette ZR1 police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

2007 International Police Vehicle Design contest winners announced

John Neff — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:56:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Police/Emergency

Every year for the past 20, Law and Order magazine has held the International Police Vehicle Design contest, and this year's winners were just announced. As far as we can tell (this ain't a rag you can run down to your local Borders and buy), there are two categories for the competition, one for municipal police departments with less than 50 members and one for Federal or State agencies.

The winner of the small town cop car category comes from the Hummelstown Borough Police Dept. in Pennsylvania. At first we were surprised that such a simple design was declared the winner, but after examining the Hummelstown cruisers, we grew fond of their design's bold simplicity. The word "POLICE" on the side of the cop-spec Dodge Charger couldn't be clearer. It almost looks like a movie car, in fact. Second place went to the Itasca Police Department near Chicago, whose Dodge Chargers wore much more expressive graphic than the Hummelstown cars.

As for the Federal and State agency awards, first and second place both went to state universities in New York. Top prize was awarded to the State University of New York at Buffalo for its Dodge Charger, while coming in second was SUNY Albany, which was the only Ford Crown Victoria to be honored in the top two of either category this year.

You can check out the design of each winning car in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2007 International Police Vehicle Design contest winners

2007 International Police Vehicle Design contest winners announced originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford recalling Crown Vic Interceptors for potential danger during high-speed pursuits

John Neff — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Recalls, Ford

Note to criminals: if you're planning to be the lead car in a high-speed pursuit, your odds of getting away just got ever so slightly better. Ford Motor Company has decided to conduct a voluntary recall of its Crown Victoria police package Interceptor model (2003 model shown) because of small cracks that could form in the car's steel wheels during high speed pursuits. These cracks could cause "rapid air loss," or what the street folk call a blow-out, effectively allowing the no-goodnicks to get away and obviously putting the officer behind the wheel in a signifcant amount of danger.

About 109,664 examples of the 2003 to 2005 model will be recalled, though it's suspected that a very small percentage of active duty cop cars actually are rolling on defective wheels. Only two crashes have been attributed to the issue and no officers were injured. Nevertheless, Ford has been down the recall road with the Interceptor before, issuing a different wheel recall in 2003, as well as being forced to address potentially faulty gas tanks that could explode after a crash. Neither helped the automaker's relations with this country's law enforcement community, which doesn't bode well for the ancient Interceptor that's now facing stiff competition from the new hotness in police-issue whips, the Dodge Charger.

At the moment this new recall is a voluntary move by Ford, which has already notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its actions. The recall will be targeted to owners of Interceptors with specific wheels that could be affected, who will be notified and told to visit nearby dealerships where the wheels and spares can be replaced.

[Source: MSNBC]

Ford recalling Crown Vic Interceptors for potential danger during high-speed pursuits originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford and Dodge ready to fight over police departments

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:35:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Dodge, Ford

As automakers are moving away from fleet sales, there is one segment they just can't seem to say no to. The relatively high-margin law enforcement vehicle field has been pretty much dominated through the years by large rear-drive domestic sedans. Up until recently, that had meant a Ford Crown Victoria. There weren't many other options, that is until Dodge decided its new Charger/Magnum would look great in black and white. Each of the (formerly known as) Big Three, in fact, is pushing an entry in this field now.

As BusinessWeek points out, law enforcement agencies are purchasing between 65,000 to 70,000 vehicles every year as part of multiyear contracts. And these aren't base-model strippers we're talking about. Dodge's police Charger has an MSRP of $26,825, about five grand more than a base 2.7-liter civilian Charger. Sure it comes with the 3.5-liter V6 and tops out at 150 mph, but that extra five thou represents a considerable profit margin. Right now Ford's Crown Victoria is the undisputed king of the cop car fleet, and pretty much the only reason Ford still makes it. Out of the 63,939 Crown Vics Ford moved in 2005, 50,000 were police versions, according to John Arnone, a manager of Ford's Canadian manufacturing operations.

Dodge began selling police versions of the Charger and Magnum last year, and they are starting to make a dent in Ford sales, but still trail even GM's front-wheel drive Impala and Tahoe in this segment. The newer platforms give a performance advantage over GM and Ford, but the Vic has momentum, loyalty and room on its side.

To see a lineup of what Business Week thinks are the coolest cop cars, click through the read link.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Related posts:

Ford and Dodge ready to fight over police departments originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Alfa Romeo 159 new Italian "Pantera"

John Neff — Sat, 13 May 2006 14:52:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc.

Many precincts in the U.S. are ecstatic over their new Dodge Charger police cruisers, but Italian police are just as pleased to replace their fleet of Fiat Mareas with the new Alfa 159. Police cruisers in Italy are called Panteras, which means "Panther" in English, and the crime-fighting Pantera patrols the boot with a bulletproof windshield and windows, separated passenger compartment and remote-controlled, roof-mounted search lights. You may remember the Baby Blue and White paint scheme from the last Italian police car we told you about - a Lamborgini Gallardo. Man, Italy knows how to serve and protect in style.

[Source: Italiaspeed, autoblog.it]

Alfa Romeo 159 new Italian "Pantera" originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 May 2006 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Detroit fuzz first with hydrogen fuel cell cop car

John Neff — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Daimler

Well, it's not actually the Detroit police. Those brave souls would do well to soldier on with their heavily armored Crown Vics. It's actually the campus police of Wayne State University in Detroit who have received the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered police vehicle in the world. The vehicle will operate in and around the campus and serve as a "learning laboratory" for WSU students enrolled in the country's first masters-degree program in alternative energy.

The campus po-po's paddy wagon is based on DaimlerChrysler's innovative F-Cell hydrogen vehicle, which has a 100-mile range and a top speed of 85 mph. The electric motor develops 88 horsepower, just enough to run down jaywalkers and truant students. Sixty mph is reached in 16 seconds or next semester, whichever comes first.

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]

Detroit fuzz first with hydrogen fuel cell cop car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Apr 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments