Silent Running: Opel Pushes Ampera As Cop Car

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

It’s not out yet, and it won’t be before the end of the year, but Opel is already flogging the Euro-version of the Volt, the Ampera, as the perfect cop car. Main selling point: It’s a veritable multi mission vehicle. “Whether emission free on patrol, or silent during undercover surveillance, or fast and persistent when in hot pursuit – the Opel Ampera is the ideal police cruiser,” brags Opel, which appears to humor AutoBild.

The paper grants the Ampera perseverance (500 km range), low emissions, and the ability “to silently sneak up to the scene of the crime.” But fast? “A top speed of 161 km/h may be not enough to keep up with the gangsters in their hot rodded escape vehicle.”

Be it as it may, “in the end, the matter will be doomed to failure by the price: €42,900 probably won’t be what the police wants to spend,” writes AutoBild. “That’s what a civilian has to plunk down when he wants to drive an Ampera.” $58,000 also would be a bit rich for an American police dept.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

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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  • Tankinbeans Tankinbeans on Feb 14, 2011

    The mascara is running.

  • Colin42 Colin42 on Feb 14, 2011

    You could only “to silently sneak up to the scene of the crime.” if it's the 1st call of the day - after that the batteries would be empty and that noisy engine would cut in. considering (in the UK at least) most cop cars have really high mileage - I can't think of a worse vehicle than an amped up volt

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    • Luke42 Luke42 on Feb 14, 2011

      Being able to power those electronics without running the engine constantly seems like a very good argument for a machine like the Volt/Ampera. Instead of idling a V8 100% of the time, you can run a small engine for a few minutes on the hour while the car sits. That seems like it would save a lot of fuel. The Prius is a great car for sitting still for this reason. In the 2nd-gen and 3rd-gen models, you can run the air conditioner without running the engine, which is great if you need to wait for a while with the A/C or heat on. The engine fires up every few minutes to keep the catalytic converter and coolant bottle warm, and to keep the interior comfortable. The rest of the time, the engine is off. If I had to sleep in a car, I'd choose the Prius over most other options. Alas, the Prius suspension is lightweight, and it's not particularly sporty, which precludes it from police duty. Also, the backseat is comfortable enough for two grandparents and a baby, but it would probably wouldn't be comfortable with a police barrier in there.

  • KixStart KixStart on Feb 14, 2011

    What do they mean, "emissions-free?" Those donuts gotta go somewhere.

  • Panzerfaust Panzerfaust on Feb 14, 2011

    The Polizei have always had a wide range of vehicles, from Opel Saloon cars, to full size Mercedes, Posches, Motorcycles and even VW vans. A Volt/Ampera would probably be more than adequate for most suburban patrols.

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