License And Registration, Please: Will You Be Pulled Over By A BMW?
As the avid reader of our cop car chronology and our on-going coverage of crime-buster conveyances knows, that market of 75,000 units a year in the U.S.A. alone is in a bit of a turmoil. The Crown Vic, holder of approximately 70 percent of the fuzz market, is about to be retired. Ford, GM, and Chrysler want to get a bite out of that crime-driven market. Not to forget a little known company, curiously and politically incorrectly named “Carbon Motors.” Since our own Sajeev Mehta directed our attention towards Carbon, it got a little quiet around the formerly Atlanta, now Connersville, Ind. based upstart that wants to build dedicated police-mobiles. Until today.
Today, Germany’s Automobilwoche [sub] reports that Carbon Motors “ordered more than 240,000 diesel engines for their new super police car E7.” And where did they order the engines? From Germany’s BMW. The Bavarians can’t believe their luck. “Never before has BMW sold so many powertrains to a third party,” says Automobilwoche. The Bavarians will sell more than the engine. The whole shebang comes with the cooling, exhaust, and slushbox system. The powertrains will be built in BMW’s engine plant in Steyr, Austria. First deliveries will be made in 2012. Speaking of carbon, the BMW engine promises a 40 percent better mileage than other, unnamed contenders.
But an order for 240,000 engines? So far, the Carbon company, founded by former Dallas police officer Stacy Dean Stephens and former Ford executive William Santana Li, has collected 12,500 reservations, says USA Today. Maybe Carbon, which now calls itself a “Homeland Security Company” has just landed a big carbonated order. Or they are making it up.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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I think some places already have BMW Motorcycles, so it's already possible to be pulled over by a BMW.
So, just to clarify, this is a BMW drivetrain(basically) coupled with...what kind of car for a chassis? Are they going to use an American car company chassis to get the "made in the USA" sticker? Plus, now that diesel costs as much as premium unleaded gas, wouldn't that negate part of the cost savings for going with diesel? Don't get me wrong; I'm a fan of the oil burners, but this seems like a pretty far fetched plan.
My PD is going for Trail Blazers. I would expect that vans or SUVs will replace the sedans. Trucks are cheap and parts are readily available.
At SF auto show I saw Maserati as a police car. So things go in right directions. BMW is not so expensive to service in Germany might be cheaper than Japanese car, I mean it is just another German car. It is RWD so costs more than Opel. Maserati is different issue let alone not as durable as BMW.