Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Is Twice As Popular As Taurus Police Interceptor
As the Explorer goes, so goes the Ford Police Interceptor Utility. Unfortunately for Ford, as the Taurus goes, so too goes the Police Interceptor Sedan.
Sales of civilian Explorers in the United States are up 6% through the first eleven months of 2014. Ford sold 14,949 Explorers in November, a 13% improvement. In addition to those Explorers, Ford sold 18,823 Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utilities between January and November of this year, a 47% increase compared with 2013’s first eleven months. The Police Interceptor Utility went on sale in March 2012. Its best month so far was May of this year, when 2277 were sold, a 98% jump from May 2013 and a 196% improvement compared with May 2012.
While the Taurus-based Police Interceptor Sedan initially sold more frequently than its Explorer compatriot – 2446 more copies in 2012 – it’s been the less popular member of the duo since March 2013. In terms of sales, the difference between the pair has been widening as Taurus Police Interceptor sales have decreased in 2014, year-over-year, while Explorer Police Interceptor sales have been rising.
Not surprisingly, with the market for flagship sedans at volume brands degrading, sales of the civilian Taurus are in decline, as well, falling 23% this year and 38% in November. Only 2733 non-police Tauruses were sold in November, a 1667-unit loss for a Ford car division which slid 5% thanks to declines from the C-Max, Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion. (Not surprisingly, the new Mustang is a hot ticket.)
With one month of 2014 left to report, Ford sold 28,370 Police Interceptors in the United States in 2014. Fully two-thirds of those sales were generated by the Explorer Police Interceptor, up from 56% during the first eleven months of 2013. Unfortunately, sales figures for rival police cars – the Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Tahoe, and in Mexico, the enviable Nissan Tsuru – aren’t broken down in sales releases from other automakers. Not even the Carbon Motors E7.
Apparently Ford-driving officers of the law, at least north of the Rio Grande, have the same inclinations as the market at large, as large sedan sales are in a gradual state of decline and the SUV/crossover boom continues unabated.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
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And MRAPs are more popular than either......
A buddy of mine is the lead driving instructor for his city's police department. He told me after a day at the track testing all the major offerings that he was surprised by the performance of the Explorer-based Interceptor. I was expecting the Caprice to stand out. He said the twin turbo, AWD Explorer was the star of the track. But I kept pressing him about the Caprice. He said the seats were too tight with a full utility belt. I suspect that alone will drives sales away.