Official: Carbon Motors strikes back with new police truck
Filed under: Government/Legal, Police/Emergency
Carbon Motors couldn't have picked a better time to get into the police car business with the departure of the Ford Crown Victoria leaving the market wide open, but with its purpose-built E7 police sedan still a few more years away from production, the Indiana-based company decided to launch another vehicle for first responders. There was a big demand to get something out quick, and that something is the TX7. Designed to be more of a multipurpose vehicle, the TX7 is able to fill many roles making it a more practical expense for police agencies.
Unlike the E7, the TX7 is based on an existing powertrain and chassis, which allowed Carbon to develop the truck in less than eight months, but the company has not yet announced where it got these components from. What we do know is that a diesel V8 producing at least 300 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque is under the hood, and it is paired to a four-wheel-drive system and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Referred to as a "multi mission vehicle," the TX7 is designed to be more practical than a standard SUV police vehicle while costing hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a full assault-type SWAT truck. Carbon spokesman Stacy Dean Stephens said that most specialized police vehicles, like SWAT trucks, are not used on a frequent basis, but the TX7's 10-passenger capacity makes it a versatile vehicle for first responders.
"Command post vehicles and SWAT trucks can sit around unused for most of the year," Stephens said. "The TX7 can perform many different tasks while costing far less... including being a command post following natural disasters or acting as a prisoner transport."
The TX7 is not available with the heavier armor meaning it won't be able to be used in all extreme situations, but Stephens also said it's a much less imposing vehicle than a SWAT vehicle, which he says can "scare the community."
The Carbon TX7 is priced at $149,950, and with deliveries taking place during the second half of next year. Scroll down for the official press release.
Continue reading Carbon Motors strikes back with new police truck
Carbon Motors strikes back with new police truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsOfficial: Ford creates Focus ST Wagon cop car
Filed under: Concept Cars, Wagon, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Ford, Police/Emergency, UK
The British crime thriller, The Sweeney, was centered around two cops tooling around in an unmarked, blacked-out, five-door, Ford Focus ST. It's only logical, then, that Ford serve pent-up demand for a true police-spec Focus ST.
Reporting for official duty is the Ford Focus ST estate, complete with full cop livery, LED light bar and a mobile data terminal.
Ford says the 2.0-liter 252-horsepower EcoBoost can propel pursuing police to 60 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds and top out at 154 mph.
The one-off demonstrator was paraded out at the National Association of Police Fleet Managers' (NAPFM) Conference and Blue Light Fleet Exhibition in Peterborough recently.
"With the Ford Focus ST being seen so publicly on cinema screens nationwide, the timing for this 'official' version couldn't be better," said Terry Adams, Ford's Direct Sales Manager for Police, Fire & Ambulance in the press release. "At the NAPFM show we displayed the car's crime-fighting talents to police transport managers and took bookings for demonstrations."
Read the full press release below.
Continue reading Ford creates Focus ST Wagon cop car
Ford creates Focus ST Wagon cop car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: NHTSA probing 2005-2008 Ford Crown Victoria police cars over steering issue
Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Recalls, Ford, Police/Emergency
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into complaints involving steering column shafts that can separate on Police Interceptor versions of the Ford Crown Victoria. An official recall has not been issued yet, but a separated steering column could be dangerous in that it would cause the driver to lose all steering control of the vehicle. Fortunately, there have been no reported crashes or injuries associated with this issue.
Fox News reports that the NTHSA investigation applies to the 2005 through 2008 model years, accounting for around 195,000 police cars, but there have only been three confirmed instances where the car's steering shaft has failed. The report does state that police agencies have been inspecting their cruisers and there are at least 10 additional complaints of steering shafts that were found to be faulty.
While this problem does not apply to the civilian models of the Crown Vic, there are likely to be numerous privately owned cars affected by the problem since so many decommissioned police cars are purchased at auctions.
NHTSA probing 2005-2008 Ford Crown Victoria police cars over steering issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: 2014 Dodge Charger Pursuit AWD better able to catch bad guys in the snow
Filed under: Sedan, Dodge, Police/Emergency
With the Ford Crown Victoria out of the picture, automakers are in a fight for police car domination, and Dodge just upped the ante by adding an optional all-wheel drive system on the Charger Pursuit for 2014.
Previously, the Charger Pursuit was only available with rear-wheel drive, but adding the AWD system gives it an advantage over the rear-drive-only Chevrolet Caprice PPV and makes the car more marketable in Northern police fleets against the Ford Taurus-based Police Interceptor Sedan which also offers AWD. Dodge's system differs from Ford's mainly by being rear-wheel biased, but Chrysler also says that it features an active transfer case and a front axle disconnect system. These allow the Charger Pursuit to have great traction in slick road conditions and deliver optimal fuel economy in regular driving.
The new Charger AWD police car will only be available on the cars equipped with the V8 engine, and while Chrysler didn't announce fuel economy estimates, the regular Charger AWD gets 15 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. For top fuel economy, the Pentastar V6 is still available under the RWD Charger Pursuit's hood.
Chrysler's announcement of the Charger Pursuit AWD came on the same day that Ford announced the addition of the more powerful and more fuel-efficient 3.7-liter V6 to the Police Interceptor Sedan.
You can check out the press release below.
2014 Dodge Charger Pursuit AWD better able to catch bad guys in the snow originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Ford’s Taurus-based Police Interceptor getting more power to catch scofflaws
Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Ford, Police/Emergency
Ford has revealed that it is updating the base powerplant on its 2013 Police Interceptor sedan. Ford's 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V6 engine will replace the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine in its Taurus cop car, and the new engine will slot under the optional twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.
The V6 offered is a version of the powerplant found in the base Mustang and F-150, and it was already available on Ford's Police Interceptor Utility (read: enforcement-spec Explorer). With the help of twin independent variable camshaft timing, the 3.7-liter V6 makes 305 horsepower and 279 pound-feet of torque. It puts up these numbers while achieving 18 miles per gallon city, 25 mpg highway. Combined fuel economy is 21 mpg.
According to Ford, the 3.7-liter provides the highest output of any naturally aspirated V6 pursuit engine. The change should improve its 0-60 time, especially compared to competing six-cylinder pursuit vehicles. If you recall, the outgoing 288-hp 3.5-liter V6 resulted in a 0-60 run of 8.36 seconds, well behind the 7.34 of the Chevrolet Caprice PPV V6 (301 hp), and the 7.68 of the Dodge Charger Pursuit V6 (292 hp). The new 3.7-liter mill should put the Ford Police Interceptor in that range, though we do not yet have those numbers.
If a police department decides that 305 horsepower is not enough to chase down perpetrators, Ford still offers its 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine with 365 horsepower, and it's still the only twin-turbocharged V6 engine being offered in America's police vehicle fleet. For more information on the naturally aspirated V6, click below to read through the press release.
Continue reading Ford's Taurus-based Police Interceptor getting more power to catch scofflaws
Ford's Taurus-based Police Interceptor getting more power to catch scofflaws originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Video: VT farmer goes on rampage, crushes 7 police vehicles with tractor [w/video]
Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Work
As you can see from the screenshot above, the Orleans County Sheriff's Department in Vermont did not have a good Thursday. At 12:40 pm yesterday, they received a 911 call that a tractor was running over police cruisers. The location of the crime? Their very own sheriff's barracks! The man behind the wheel of the tractor has been identified as Roger Pion, a Newport, VT farmer who was reportedly angry over a previous arrest for a minor violation.
In a scene that sounds straight out of Hazzard County, the officers stormed outside, but the culprit was gone, and they had no uncrumpled vehicles with which to pursue to Pion. The sheriff's department called in, well, everyone - Vermont State Police, Border Patrol, and Newport City Police, who finally tracked the offender down. Pion was about a mile and a half down the road when they found him, at which point he took off on foot and was soon after apprehended and arrested.
The damage, totaling an estimated $250,000 included six cruisers and an unmarked police van.
While the original offense Pion was upset over was for marijuana possession and resisting arrest, he now reportedly faces charges including aggravated assault, unlawful mischief, gross negligent operation and leaving the scene of an accident.
Continue reading VT farmer goes on rampage, crushes 7 police vehicles with tractor [w/video]
VT farmer goes on rampage, crushes 7 police vehicles with tractor [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Ponch Approved? California chooses Ford Explorer Police Interceptor as next patrol car
Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Government/Legal, Ford, Police/Emergency
How many cops does it take to choose a new police car? In California, the answer is four. But this is also a trick question, because the California Highway Patrol didn't choose a car to replace its aging Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors - it chose an SUV. That's right, Cali 5-0 will be rolling in the Ford Explorer starting this fall.
According to Motor Trend, due to the CHP's requirement that each of its cruisers be able to carry four officers plus all their equipment, none of the three police sedans currently on the market were even eligible for consideration. Only the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, as the Explorer-based pursuit vehicle is known, and the Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle are able to carry the roughly 1,700-pound payload that CHP requires. According to the report, the Explorer out-performed the Tahoe in testing by the L.A. County Sheriff's Office and the Michigan State Police, however Ford won the CHP bid by virtue of having the lower price.
Motor Trend says the contract is good for some 1,800 Explorers over the next two years, although the the CHP may also be buying some sedans to use for "executive vehicles." As CHP is one of the major players in the police vehicle market, its decision to adopt the Explorer carries considerable weight with other agencies - meaning that Ford has to be happy with how things are shaking out in the post-Crown Vic world.
Ponch Approved? California chooses Ford Explorer Police Interceptor as next patrol car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 May 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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