That Police Car In Your Mirror May Not Be A Car, Police Package SUV Sales Up

by TTAC Staff

Published: August 21st, 2013

that police car in your mirror may not be a car police package suv sales up

As police departments across the United States start retiring their Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptors, now that those out of production vehicles are reaching departments’ mileage limits, it looks like they are replacing at least some of them with SUVs, not sedans. Though the end of the Crown Vic has been mourned by law enforcement officers and car enthusiasts alike, both groups looked forward to the new police package sedans being offered by the domestic automakers. Ford brought out the SHO Taurus based Police Interceptor sedan to replace the Crown Victoria, General Motors is importing a police only Caprice PPV with rear wheel drive from Australia (while continuing to offer a police package for the FWD Impala) and Chrysle r sells pursuit Chargers. Police department purchasing officials, though, are apparently opting to buy SUVs instead of the new cop cars.

The influential California Highway Patrol has added SUVs to their fleet, replacing some sedans, and the Nevada Highway Patrol is predicted to do likewise. Jonathan Honeycutt, Ford’s fleet brand marketing manager said that it’s not a fad, “This is where the industry is moving.” Demand from government agencies for police package SUVs has been growing faster than for sedans. Officers like the additional room that utility vehicles generally have, compared to sedans. As electronic equipment installed in police cars has proliferated, space has become an issue for police officers, who also have to wear a lot of gear on their persons.

When Ford replaced the Crown Vic PI with the Taurus based Police Interceptor, they also made a PI package available on the FWD based Explorer, expecting the SUV to account for 30% of police fleet sales. In recent months, though, the numbers have flipped and the Explorer PIs are currently almost 70% of the mix. For the year, the police Explorer is outselling the police Taurus, 7,288 to 6,046.

In addition to the Caprice and Impala sedans, GM offers a police package on the Tahoe SUV and a GM spokesman told the Detroit News that it expects to sell more Tahoes than the 13,000 the automaker sold last year. Chrysler offers the Durango SUV as an alternative to police forces as well as a special service package Ram pickup but it hasn’t released sales figures yet. Ford released their police fleet sales in connection with their announcement that police fleets can now order their Interceptor SUVs with the 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 engine. That option is expected to boost Explorer Police Interceptor sales even greater. While LEOs may appreciate the extra room, those responsible for purchasing decisions will appreciate better gas mileage.

#CapricePpv #CrownVic #CrownVictoria #CrownVictoriaP71 #ExplorerPoliceInterceptor #FordPoliceInterceptor #PoliceCars #PursuitCharger

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Mars3941 on Aug 22, 2013

A friend had a 2004 Mercury Marauder all black with the police pursuit package and he had a ball on the Florida Turnpike and I 95. They would line up behind him for miles with him having the cruise set at 70MPH.

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- Scoutdude on Aug 22, 2013
  
  There was no "pursuit package" available on the Marauder the ones the Florida State Patrol used were standard Marauders, I know of a few fellow Marauder owners that purchased them when the state patrol auctioned them off.
  
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- Mars3941 on Aug 22, 2013
  
  @Scoutdude I disagree with you. On the trunk it had a police interceptor nameplate. Instead of using the term pursuit package I should have used police interceptor.
  
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- Scoutdude on Aug 23, 2013
  
  @mars3941 I'd say someone added that badge then because I know a half a dozen people who own ex Florida State Patrol Marauders that do not have that badge and are not equipped any differently from the standard Marauder, they have none of the PI parts on them other than the ones you find on every Marauder. No higher output alternator, no oil cooler, no wiring for the lights.
  
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Sgeffe on Aug 24, 2013

Ohio Highway Patrol is using a mix of Chargers (in silver) and white Tahoes to replace their CVPIs. The unmarked Tahoes the Toledo Police have around look particularly badass. You can tell that they are lowered a bit from "normal" Tahoes. They look especially cool in the dazzling white with the dark-tinted windows.

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