Autoblog

Report: Austin police looking to stockpile Crown Vics ahead of model's phase-out

Chris Shunk — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Government/Legal, Ford

The age of the Ford Crown Victoria cop car is almost at an end, but law enforcement in Austin, Texas wants one more crack at the old standby. Actually, the police are asking city council for $4.5 million to buy 176 Police Interceptor squad cars at an average price of $25,568.

Why the mad rush to buy 176 vehicles when all the new cop cars are on the way? Police officials tell the Austin Statesman that the department already has parts like computer mounts and light bars that fit on the Crown Vic, and a new model would call for a fresh batch of parts. Further, automakers haven't yet set official prices for the new models, and new models like the Taurus-based 2012 Police Interceptor and Chevrolet Caprice haven't been extensively tested in the streets. And the department has already determined that the Dodge Charger isn't the answer, saying that the back seat is too cramped for passengers and the trunk too small for computer equipment.

Assistant Police Chief Sean Mannix says that the department typically buys vehicles every year, but this allotment should last five years, adding "this will last us while we are determining what the next model will be." We're sure Ford will be more than happy to fill the order, and we'd also wager that the Austin police department won't be the only municipality to ask for one more big order of Crown Vics. Hat tip to Marcus!

[Source: Austin Statesman]

Report: Austin police looking to stockpile Crown Vics ahead of model's phase-out originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Caprice police car to patrol America's streets beginning April, 2011 [w/video]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:58:00 EST

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

Chevrolet Caprice PPV -- Click above for high-res image gallery

Attention perps: You'll have a new patrol vehicle roaming the streets come next April. That's the month General Motors says its Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle will finally hit the local precinct. Those models will apparently all be of the detective package variety; Chevy's police package will officially go on sale in June of 2011. Ordering for the detective cars will commence in October of this year, while those officers looking forward to the police package will need to wait until next January to place their orders.

For those unaware, the new Caprice will feature a rather traditional layout, with seating for two officers in the cushy front seats and two less lucky individuals in the rear behind a full-width prisoner partition. Motivation comes from a 355-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 engine sending those ponies to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

We've wrangled up a full gallery of high-res images below and pasted a video along with the press release after the break.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

Gallery: Chevrolet Caprice PPV at Chicago Auto Show

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Chevrolet Caprice police car to patrol America's streets beginning April, 2011 [w/video]

Chevrolet Caprice police car to patrol America's streets beginning April, 2011 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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REPORT: Lutz says next Chevy Impala to stay front-drive, gain hybrid variant

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet

2009 Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East) - Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember those AWESOME rumors about the rear-wheel drive Pontiac G8 living on as a Chevy Caprice? Not going to happen, though used Chevy cop cars will still be the hot Christmas item come 2017 or so. Inside Line's Ed Hellwig reports that after a sit down meeting with General Motors' Maximum Bob Lutz, not only won't there be a true successor to the 1994-1996 Impala SS, but the next Impala will remain front-wheel drive.

The new Impala will get bigger says IL, and add features - probably in an attempt to keep up with the hefty and tech-laden Ford Taurus. Lutz mentions that the new Impala will not only sport decent fuel economy, but also feature GM's hybrid technology. Whether or not this means a Chevy Volt style gas-electric powertrain or the General's next-generation belt-alternator mild hybrid system isn't clear. All we know is, once the few, still-lingering-on dealer-lots G8s are gone, they are gone baby, gone.

Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East)

[Source: Straight Line Blog]

REPORT: Lutz says next Chevy Impala to stay front-drive, gain hybrid variant originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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GM beginning to backpedal on Lutz' G8-turning-Caprice comments?

Chris Shunk — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac, Australia

2009 Chevy Caprice SS (Middle East) - Click above for high-res photo gallery

When General Motors' Bob Lutz talks, we listen. The reason, of course, is that he always gives us something good to write. Over the weekend, we told you about an interview Lutz had with Automobile Magazine where the Maximum One said that the G8 will live on as a Chevrolet Caprice. Lutz's comments looked like a sure thing to us, as it's hard to misinterpret these words.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet. It is kind of too good to waste."

Just a few days later, Blogger Bob sounded a bit less certain about the future of the G8 as Chevrolet. On the company's Fast Lane Blog, Lutz simply said "we're studying the feasibility of bringing (the G8) in as a Caprice for both law enforcement and the public." That doesn't sound nearly as certain as the Automobile interview.

Kicking Tires reportedly received a similar statement from GM brass, saying "As part of its reinvention, General Motors is exploring every opportunity of effectively utilizing its global portfolio of vehicles, facilities and talent. While this exploration includes the possibility of extending imports of Holden vehicles (such as the recent Pontiac G8) to North America, no decision has been made at this time."

We're hoping this is corporate speak for 'We're going to do what Bob says, but we just don't want to promise anything just yet.' Turning the G8 into a Chevrolet model looks to us like the cheapest possible way to keep a terrific vehicle available in the States, and with the Bowtie's significantly larger dealer network, maybe GM can finally figure out how to turn a profit with with the awesome Aussie.

Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East)

[Sources: Automobile Magazine; Kicking Tires; Auto Observer]

GM beginning to backpedal on Lutz' G8-turning-Caprice comments? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Lutz says Pontiac G8 to survive as Chevy Caprice in U.S.; Camaro Z28 reportedly dead

Alex Nunez — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:19:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM

2009 Chevy Caprice SS (Middle East) - Click above for a high-res photo gallery

Bob Lutz is back, and after what seems like five minutes into his job as GM's new marketing kingpin, he's doing what he does best: making headlines. Rest assured that this is a good thing, as El Generalissimo Roberto Maximo told Automobile Magazine that yes, the Pontiac G8 will live on in the United States as the Chevy Caprice. So much for Fritz "I'm not a fan of rebadging" Henderson's statement to the contrary a couple of weeks ago.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet. It is kind of too good to waste," Lutz told the mag. As for the G8 being "too good to waste": Amen to that, Bob. This also makes us wonder if law enforcement-grade models will be part of the deal with Holden to continue production. Chevy Caprice police cars? That's got a very familiar ring to it. The next question is whether a U.S. Caprice would mimic the Middle East-market Caprice, which is based on the long-wheelbase Holden Caprice/Statesman, or whether it will simply be a Chevy-badged version of the standard-wheelbase Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8/Chevrolet Lumina. Frankly, as long as there's ultimately a Caprice SS that is identical to the Pontiac G8 GXP in every critical way, we don't care.

In his conversation with Automobile, Lutz also essentially confirms that next year's Cadillac CTS coupe will be joined by a V-series variant, saying that the CTS-V coupe was the car that had most of the Presidential Task Force members' tongues wagging during the product-pipeline tour they were given by GM. Lutz even hints that a CTS-V wagon is not completely out of the question. (We'll take the wagon in brown, with the stick, Bob.)

On the bad news side, in a separate blog post, Automobile reports that Lutz kind of throws dirt on the idea of an LSA-powered Camaro Z28 (though he doesn't specifically state that the program's toast). He says that for "mainstream" sports models like the Camaro, powerful sixes (like the one in the Camaro LS and LT) and turbo fours (like the one used in the now-dead Cobalt SS, HHR SS and Solstice GXP) are more indicitive of the automaker's future direction in that regard. Hmmm. Well then, how about bolting a blower to the direct-injected V6?

Welcome back, Bob. This sounds like it could get pretty fun.

Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East)

Gallery: 2009 Chevy Lumina SS (Middle East)

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

BREAKING: Lutz says Pontiac G8 to survive as Chevy Caprice in U.S.; Camaro Z28 reportedly dead originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM updates Arabian-market Chevrolet Caprice

Noah Joseph — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, Middle East

2009 Chevrolet Caprice - Click above for a high-res gallery

The Chevrolet Caprice may be long gone from the North American market, but in the Middle East the nameplate soldiers forth. Based on the Holden Statesman, the Arabian-market Caprice receives a host of updates for the new model year, including a 6L80E six-speed automatic with Active Select driving either 240-hp 3.6-liter V6 or 6.0-liter V8 putting out 360 ponies. The Caprice is available in several trim levels, incorporating new features like electronic stability control, Bluetooth connectivity and remote start, a handy feature for cooling down the interior after it was backing under the Arabian sun.

Chevy insists that "it is indisputable that the 2009 Chevrolet Caprice is indeed one of the world's best large luxury sedans". We don't know about that, but it's got to be better than the last Caprice we had on this side of the pipeline. Read more about it in the press release after the jump and check out the images in the gallery below to see for yourself.

Gallery: Arabian-market Chevrolet Caprice

[Source: GM]

Continue reading GM updates Arabian-market Chevrolet Caprice

GM updates Arabian-market Chevrolet Caprice originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: 30-inch clear wheels can burn rubber, glad to know

John Neff — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:52:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet

We can't remember anyone asking if a 1985 Chevy Caprice lifted twenty inches on a set of clear, 30-inch wheels could do a burnout, but ladies and gentlemen, you have your answer and it's a resounding YES! Called the Garfield Box, presumably for its orange paint job or love of lasagna, the '85 Caprice is wearing clear "treys" made by MHT wheels that reportedly cost $30,000. A fine investment, for sure, bound to pay itself off somehow. If anything, they'll make a fine set of coffee tables some day.

Check out the video of Garfield Box doing a burnout after the jump, and click the Read link to view more pics of it on Car Domain's blog.

[Source: Car Domain via Winding Road]

Continue reading VIDEO: 30-inch clear wheels can burn rubber, glad to know

VIDEO: 30-inch clear wheels can burn rubber, glad to know originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beater of the Day: 1989 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 Police Package

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: Chevrolet, RR of the Day

How could we possibly deny featuring a retired police Caprice that goes by the name of Big Momma? We can't. We tried, but it was useless.

Owned by Autoblog reader 787B (an admitted Wankel-lover), Big Momma's main use is to schlep a race-ready RX7 to and fro, along with all the prerequisite track day goodies - 5,000 pounds worth.

Big Momma is optioned out with all the law enforcement-required kit and since we couldn't put it better ourselves, we'll quote her owner's Flickr description: "...she has a thicker cop frame, fuel-injected 350 cop V8, massive cop brakes, thick cop anti-sway bars, cop oil cooler, cop trans cooler, cop 'bucket' seats, cop 3.42 gears, cop 3-core radiator, cop 120A alternator, cop shocks, cop springs, and cop attitude. She's ugly, she knows it [and] she's angry about it!"

He's also added some performance springs, Bilstein shocks and Airlift airbags to keep the weight distribution a bit more manageable. Unfortunately, Big Momma's cholesterol count got the better of her and that "fuel-injected 350 cop V8" finally gave in after 176,000 miles of dutiful service. But don't cry for Big Momma, she's getting a heart transplant soon.

Be sure to check out the pics after the jump (along with directions on how to submit your own ride), including one of the best sagging headliner solutions yet and, at the risk of overloading Mr. 787B's server, check out Big Momma's website here.

Continue reading Beater of the Day: 1989 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 Police Package

Beater of the Day: 1989 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 Police Package originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Citizen review of Charger police cruiser

John Neff — Fri, 05 May 2006 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Dodge

No doubt many of you have already begun seeing Dodge Charger police cruisers patrolling your neighborhoods. As soon as Michelle Wingard of Amherst, OH (population 14,000) saw a Charger with a light bar trolling in her neck of the woods she made a B-line to the precinct to get a closer look. Thanks to the openness of the Amherst Police Department the resulting article is a terrific look at how officers are reacting to the new sheriff in town.

If the law boys in Amherst are anything to go by, the Charger police cruiser is a big hit with its 5.7L HEMI V8, spacious interior and tight-yet-comfortable handling. The only niggle one sergeant mentioned was the car's habit of briefly pausing when quickly shifting into Reverse, which Wingard witnessed first hand as the officer turned the car around to chase down a speeding Ford Escape on their test drive.

Kudos to Wingard for a great read that comes off less like overthought automotive journalism and more like talking to your best bud about cars.

[Source: NewAgeMusclecars]

Citizen review of Charger police cruiser originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 May 2006 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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