Posts Tagged ‘Crown Victoria’
Ford Developing New Police Cruiser
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
A while ago, we took a look at new contenders to the retiring Crown Victoria’s throne as the country’s number one police cruiser. Now it looks like Ford is not ready to step down just yet. The Ford Motor Company has announced that it will produce a completely new purpose-built Police Interceptor specially engineered to replace the Crown Vic in 2011.
Ford’s new interceptor is being developed in conjunction with the company’s Police Advisory Board, which has spent the last14 months providing input on the attributes necessary to a quality law enforcement vehicle, such as safety, performance, durability, driver convenience, and comfort. The new Police Interceptor will be offered to law enforcement agencies as soon as the Crown Victoria goes out of production in late 2011.
The new vehicle is designed to provide municipalities with reduced ownership costs through improved quality, durability, and fuel efficiency.
“Ford’s commitment to the law enforcement community produced the Crown Victoria, the benchmark police vehicle,” said Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a member of Ford’s Police Advisory Board. “This commitment has continued, and Ford has been working closely with the Police Advisory Board on developing the new Police Interceptor. I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard.”
Ford plans to reveal the new model and provide full vehicle specifications in the first quarter of 2010 – in time for law enforcement agencies, police equipment manufacturers, and upfitters to develop a transition plan from the Crown Victoria to the new product.
Photo courtesy of wastemanagementdude under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Crown Victoria, Ford, Ford Motor Company, Ford police cruiser, LA sheriff's department, Police Advisory Board, police interceptor
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Chevrolet Caprice Resurrected for Police Fleets
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
With the Ford Crown Victoria going out of production, police fleets around the country need a new car for future patrol cars. Now Chevrolet has provided one answer: The new 2011 Chevy Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. The new Caprice is a full-sized rear wheel drive sedan that will be available in both V-6 and V-8 models, with a range of specialized equipment for law enforcement.
Chevrolet announced the rollout at the annual International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in Denver. The Caprice PPV will be available for order by law enforcement agencies next year and will begin production in 2011.
The Chevy Caprice has a history in law enforcement. The old Caprice joined America’s police forces in 1976, and continued to serve until it was scrapped in 1996 when GM discontinued body-on-frame designs.
The new Caprice PPV has been augmented for law enforcement duty with modern equipment and new features:
- 6.0L V-8 with fuel-saving Active Fuel Management technology and E-85. (V-6 engine will also be offered, beginning in the 2012 model year)
- Optional front-seat-only side curtain air bags.
- Two trunk-mounted batteries, with one dedicated to powering various police equipment.
- Designed for five-passenger seating, providing the upper-center section of the dashboard is used for equipment mounting without the concern of air bag deployment interference.
- Compatibility with in-dash touch-screen computer technology.
- Special front seats designed for the long-term comfort of officers, including space to accommodate the bulk of a typical equipment belt.
The new Caprice is based on GM’s global rear-wheel drive family of vehicles that includes the Camaro. It has the longest wheelbase of the series (118.5 inches) plus a four-wheel independent suspension that allows for super-responsive driving characteristics critical to police.
The Caprice’s 6.0L V-8 is rated at an estimated 355 horsepower (265 kW) with an estimated 384 lb.-ft. of torque, and is backed by a six-speed automatic transmission that is performance-calibrated for police duty.
Photo courtesy of netcarshow.com
Tags: 2011 Chevy Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle, Active Fuel Management, Camaro, Caprice PPV, Chevrolet, Chevy Caprice, Crown Victoria, Denver, E-85, Ford, Ford Crown Victoria, GM, International Association of Chiefs of Police
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Crown Victoria Turns in its Badge
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Ford Motor Co. recently met with the heads of several of the nation’s largest police fleets in Dearborn, MI to talk about the future of police vehicles.
The Crown Victoria, an invaluable asset to police fleets for years, is being discontinued. Ford has not sold the Crown Vic to consumers since 2007, but will continue to produce the cars as fleet vehicles until 2011. Although the Crown Victoria is on its way out, Ford is committed to remaining an integral part of America’s police force.
Ford’s major offer to the nation’s police fleets has been the new Taurus sedan. While it may seem like an excellent opportunity for an upgrade, the Taurus and other newer cars lack some of the features that made the Crown Victoria so effective. The Crown Vic was a body-on-frame car, which made it extremely tough and easy to repair in the event of a collision. It has a column shifter, which frees up the center console area for guns and electronic equipment. It also boasts enough rear space for a spacious trunk while still accommodating two suspects in the back seat.
In addition to these major features, most aftermarket police equipment is built specifically to fit inside a Crown Victoria. When some fleets attempted to switch their fleets over to Chevrolet Impalas, they found that their communications equipment would not fit in the vehicles. The Crown Victoria also has rear-wheel drive, which allows for greater handling and more even weight distribution.
With these features missing from many of its current models, Ford has yet to decide on what vehicle will be chosen to replace the Crown Victoria when it finally retires.
“We’ve got some big decisions to make, and we’re making them,” said Jim Farley, head of global sales, marketing and service for Ford. “We have no intention of walking away from our share of that market.”
Other companies are anxious to take over Ford’s contract with police fleets; other big automakers are eyeing the prize, but the Canadian Auto Workers and some small start-ups are also looking to provide law enforcement agencies with the perfect police cruiser. Ford however, is determined to stay in the game, and not just for the money: Ford Americas President Mark Fields says “Every municipality has police, so you have Ford product everywhere across the country. It reinforces that Ford is part of the community.”
Photo courtesy of banspy under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: American police force, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Impala, Crown Victoria, fleet, fleet vehicles, Ford, Ford Motor Co, Impala, Taurus
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