Which cars will Australia Police force use once no more Australian made cars?

[pauljh74]

You'd have to think the Kia Stinger would be under consideration if it can pass all the tests. If Ford/GM/Chysler makes more larger sedans available for global sales and RHD, then we could tap into some of their Police packs in the near future. I think that would be the best way to get the required performance for reasonable cost.

[Sioso]

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...ose-in-112190/





Kia Stinger pursuit cars close in
Twin-turbo V6 sports sedan may do highway patrol duty in Queensland first, but it won’t go racing – yet

Queensland Police Service could become the first Australian police force to deploy the piping-hot Kia Stinger V6 as a highway patrol vehicle.

However, it won’t do battle with the Ford Mustang and Holden Commodore in the Australian Supercars race series any time soon.

Twin-turbo six-cylinder versions of the Korean sedan are currently being tested by almost all Australian states following the end of Ford Falcon and now Holden Commodore production Down Under.

This includes NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, but not Victoria, Tasmania or the Northern Territory.

Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith told motoring.com.au that Stinger pursuit vehicles are most likely to be seen in Queensland first, if the rear-drive sports sedan is approved for highway patrol duty.

“If it happens, Queensland is likely to be the first [Australian state to employ Stinger highway patrol cars],” he said.

Two pursuit-spec Kia Stinger V6s are currently being tested in north and south Queensland, where these online images surfaced, following minor modifications to the vehicle’s wiring loom.

The Stinger GT liftback’s boot space and Brembo brakes meet police patrolling requirements, as does its 272kW/510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6, which propels the car to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and a 270km/h top speed.

But highway patrol Stingers will likely roll on 18-inch rubber because the police want a spare tyre on board and the 19-inch tyres used at the top of the range are staggered.

Along with a host of other models from a variety of manufacturers – including Kia and its own Sonata and Sorento models -- a number of four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo versions of the Kia Stinger are already being employed as general-duties police vehicles in a range of Aussie states.

As we’ve reported, however, NSW police are believed to have signed a fleet deal for up to 200 examples of the 350kW Chrysler 300 SRT from this year, while BMW will supply VicPol with 80 examples of the 530d sedan for highway patrol duty by the end of 2018.

Other vehicles believed to be in contention for highway patrol work in various states include Holden’s imported Commodore VXR and the upcoming Genesis G80 – both large rear-drive V6s.

NSW Police’s highway patrol fleet is the largest in Australia with about 400 cars, but any contract to supply pursuit cars in the Sunshine State as its fleet of Commodore SS and Falcon XR6 Turbo vehicles is pensioned off could be lucrative.

“Queensland Police Service Fleet Governance Group is completing a review of a range of vehicles to assess their suitability for police work,” Queensland Police Service confirmed to motoring.com.au today.

“One specific function under review at the moment is road policing operations. The evaluation process has a number of stages including field trials.

“As part of the field trials, one [of] the vehicles was a Kia Stinger which was deployed around MacKay and more recently in one of the metropolitan locations.’

However, Queensland Police Service declined to reveal the results of the field trials or when they will be completed.

“As the evaluation process has not been completed, QPS cannot comment on the assessment of any of the vehicles within the trials.

“QPS looks forward to finding a suitable platform to suit our needs. QPS is grateful to Kia and other manufacturers for supporting the trial.”

Supply shortages
Any state road policing vehicle contract would be a significant shot in the arm for Kia Stinger sales, which Meredith said continue to be restricted by limited supplies.

He said Stinger sales were running at around 180 a month, with V6s accounting for a higher share than expected at about 85 per cent – all of them to private buyers.

Of an initial trade-in sample, 28 per cent of Stinger buyers were people who already owned a Kia, with Commodore owners comprising the biggest ‘conquest’ group at 18 per cent.

Surprisingly, 60 per cent of customers who ordered the Stinger V6 have opted for the louder Australian-made bi-modal exhaust system released as an official Kia option last month – despite costing an extra $2689 (fitted).

Meredith said that given free supply Kia could eventually sell between 250 and 350 Stingers a month – more than 4000 annually.

“As the Commodore emotion dies down and they’re actually out of selling [homegrown] Commodore, then we’ll see an increase,” he said.

Stinger for Supercars?
The local Kia boss also left the door open to entering the Stinger in the Australian Supercars Championship, for which Ford confirmed the Mustang yesterday, but not in the foreseeable future.

“Good luck to them,” he said of Ford when asked if Kia would join it in Australia’s premier motorsport category.

“We haven’t got the expertise internally to do it. [But] If Stinger sales were booming and supply opened up, then we’d look at it.”

[mike_nofx]

Most stinger buyers opt for the $2700 exhaust upgrade?

[au350hp]

It is official.
https://www.motoring.com.au/chrysler...l-done-110173/

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

It is official.
https://www.motoring.com.au/chrysler...l-done-110173/

Probably the only thing saving the 300 from the axe. Only 247 sold here so far this year.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

It is official.
https://www.motoring.com.au/chrysler...l-done-110173/

Hmm, that article was from Dec last year and said...."We understand the chief commissioner of NSW Police will make an official announcement about the new Chrysler cop cars in March 2018."

I've heard nothing yet, but I hope they do use them, as they're not that common they should be pretty easy to spot

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Hmm, that article was from Dec last year and said...."We understand the chief commissioner of NSW Police will make an official announcement about the new Chrysler cop cars in March 2018."

I've heard nothing yet, but I hope they do use them, as they're not that common they should be pretty easy to spot

I should have added when I was pulled over in March this year for a RBT & general harassment session, the officer commented on my car which led to a Ford/Holden joke or two as he was driving a FG-X. I asked him what the HWP had been looking at to replace the Falcon and he told me this. 'They were set to go on the Mustang but poor crash rating canned that, so the Chrysler got the nod.' He said he 'wasn't aware of the Kia Stinger as a viable option'. I don't know about you Gasolane, but my experience in dealing with the Police is not to trust a word they say. I put most newspaper journalists in the same category these days, but seeing the articles are from motor magazines, they carry some credibility
This article goes on to say Victoria has been looking at 5 series BMW's, only NSW going with the Chrysler it appears at the moment.
As far as spotting them, I had a close look at a current Holden HWP SS the other day. Not only have they got much smaller accessories on the roof rack than previously, it is also finished in a dull non reflective paint. I don't know if this is by design or not but the headlights seem to be raised a little higher so on approach, the lights & sirens cannot be seen. Then there is the plain black SS utes that the NSW HWP have...very sneaky.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/motoring/n...ast/ar-AAtppKQ

[jgmdat]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

It is official.
https://www.motoring.com.au/chrysler...l-done-110173/

Much rather be pulled up by a 6.4 Hemi than a Kia now that there are no more Falcon or Commodore's available.

[hackney]

NSW,fleet will be made up of 30% 300c & 70% 530ds.(our local boys in our town are set to get the BMW.) I was talking to one of our boys in blue a little while ago & asked him his opinion on the 300c,he had driven it, but did not like it.They have no prob’s selling the Commodore @ the auctions there is always a line up for them apparently.Cheers

[jpd80]

So we should see some good car prices at auctions in a couple of years.....

[Spammy]

Saw a Volvo XC60 highway patrol car on the M1 (NSW) earlier this week.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by jpd80

So we should see some good car prices at auctions in a couple of years.....

Will be interesting to see how the Chrysler fairs knowing the sort of treatment they are subjected to. I wonder when the current XR8's will turn up at the auctions & what price/condition they'll be.

[EBSXR6]

A mate was saying he saw Vicpol driving an unmarked white VW van book a driver on the Eastern Freeway near the Bulleen ramp recently.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by EBSXR6

A mate was saying he saw Vicpol driving an unmarked white VW van book a driver on the Eastern Freeway near the Bulleen ramp recently.

Seen unmarked Landcruiser, Amarok and Ranger doing the rounds too. Not very intimidating vehicles at all, wondering who would pull over if they say saw one of those lit up like a Christmas tree, or dismiss it as a fake police car and leave it in the distance

[Tassie f100]

Had a builders Hilux doing the rounds round Launceston a couple of months back. Just looked like an ordinary single cab tradies ute except had a couple of inconspious blue and red lights

[arronm]

Since its our money they are spending. They can have these 4 to choose from.

[Electrolyte Burns]

I'd put them all back on pushbikes.

[Sioso]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...70f6a684155726



NSW police have unveiled two new hi-tech highway patrol cars as our homegrown Holdens and Fords reach the end of the road after almost half a century of service.

Turbo-diesel BMWs and V8-powered Chrysler sedans will be rolled out across the state from next month.

The stockpile of Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore highway patrol cars is due to be exhausted following the shutdown of local manufacturing last year.
The first batch of BMW and Chrysler highway patrol cars will begin their rollout across the state from next month. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.

The first batch of BMW and Chrysler highway patrol cars will begin their rollout across the state from next month. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.Source:News Corp Australia

General duties police will continue to use Toyota Camry sedans, but finding suitable replacements for budget-priced Australian-made highway patrol cars has been more difficult.

Authorities assessed 17 cars over the past three years before deciding on two purpose-built vehicles from BMW and Chrysler.

The BMW 5-Series turbo-diesel is used by police across Europe and the UK, while the Chrysler SRT8 has the same high-performance hardware used by US cops.

The police vehicles are not the same as those available to the public.

The BMW “authority pack” has been stripped of most luxuries but fitted with bigger brakes and is said to cost police close to half the $120,000 list price.

The BMWs may even sell at auction for the same as what was paid for them, versus ex-police Falcons and Commodores that sold for less than half what they cost new.

At about $65,000 the Chrysler SRT8 costs more than the $50,000 Falcon and Commodore performance sedans, although police pay fleet prices.
Highway patrol in Victoria and NSW are due to phase in BMW diesel sedans. Other states may follow.


NSW Police even asked to delete the BMW’s leather seats but the company said it would have cost more to add cloth upholstery because the same “authority pack” is sold to police across the world, including to highway patrol in Victoria. BMW says other Australian states may follow.

Assistant police commissioner Michael Corboy, head of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, said the “whole of life cost” of the new cars is comparable to Falcons and Commodores once fuel economy, servicing and the money recouped from resale prices are taken into account.

“It’s no secret we don’t make cars in Australia any more so we had to go outside of Australia. The two manufacturers we’ve gone with … make ready-to-go police cars for around the world,” said Mr Corboy.
The Chrysler SRT8 highway patrol cars will hit the roads later this year.

The Ford Mondeo and German-sourced Holden Commodore were considered but “didn’t meet minimum benchmark requirements”. The Commodore may make the grade as a general duties vehicle, however testing is not yet complete.

The new generation highway patrol cars are not only the most advanced in Australia but are equipped with world-leading technology worth more than the cost of the cars themselves (see below).

Every highway patrol car in NSW now has automatic number plate reading technology to detect stolen cars or wanted drivers, front and rear facing cameras to capture mobile offences, as well as being equipped with tablet computers for quicker vehicle checks.

The technology has already led to dozens of arrests of dangerous criminals.

Police say the extra technology will not only help keep the roads safer but highway patrol vehicles are increasingly being used for front-line police work.
Mobile police station ... just some of the technology inside a modern highway patrol car. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.

Mobile police station ... just some of the technology inside a modern highway patrol car. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.Source:News Corp Australia

Contrary to public perception the highway patrol are often first cars to the scene of violent domestic disputes, armed hold ups, and other life-threatening situations, including backyard pool drownings.

The first police officer to attend the Lindt Cafe siege in Martin Place was a highway patrol motorcyclist.

“We are in a lot of cases the first police to respond to critical situations because we are out on the roads already. When an urgent job comes over, we drop everything,” said Mr Corboy.

Police will roll out the new highway patrol cars from July as they begin to retire the first of the Falcons and Commodores that have completed their service.

[malazn mafia]

Chrysler / Jeep cars are terribly glitchy cars. A client of mine got rid of his SRT8 Jeep after the encountering all sort of strange electrical gremlins. It would frequently lose its headlights for no apparent reason, and then come good, and the dealership was about as competent as a Ford dealership and “could not fault at time of test”. On the upside, perhaps the HWP may find their car unable to start, or hindered by having no headlights at all, after a speeding car flies past

[minheim]

Gee those highway patrol car pics are pretty unflattering. Really does give weight to the old saying you don't know what you've got till its gone. Wonder if the new 2018 safety enhanced mustangs will get a look in. I'm sure the boys in blue hope so.

[Bossxr8]

I want to know the justification of buying the BMW's was. They could nearly buy 2 300's for the price of one BMW. Is that an efficient way of spending taxpayers dollars. Hell no.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I want to know the justification of buying the BMW's was. They could nearly buy 2 300's for the price of one BMW. Is that an efficient way of spending taxpayers dollars. Hell no.

The article reads....


"The BMW 5-Series turbo-diesel is used by police across Europe and the UK, while the Chrysler SRT8 has the same high-performance hardware used by US cops.

The police vehicles are not the same as those available to the public.

The BMW “authority pack” has been stripped of most luxuries but fitted with bigger brakes and is said to cost police close to half the $120,000 list price.

The BMWs may even sell at auction for the same as what was paid for them, versus ex-police Falcons and Commodores that sold for less than half what they cost new."

[White SW]

Maybe a WRX? Quite reliable.

[Tassie f100]

Probably save half the price difference on fuel and maintenance.300,s will spend a lot of their time in the shop getting fixed.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

The article reads....


"The BMW 5-Series turbo-diesel is used by police across Europe and the UK, while the Chrysler SRT8 has the same high-performance hardware used by US cops.

The police vehicles are not the same as those available to the public.

The BMW “authority pack” has been stripped of most luxuries but fitted with bigger brakes and is said to cost police close to half the $120,000 list price.

The BMWs may even sell at auction for the same as what was paid for them, versus ex-police Falcons and Commodores that sold for less than half what they cost new."

I highly doubt they are near half price. BMW aren't selling them for below cost thats for sure. Problem is they won't reveal how much they actually do cost.

But if it's true that they are stripper models then yes they will be cheaper. And i'll bet the government doesn't pay luxury car tax either.

[minheim]

I guess the initial use of the BMWs and 300s will determine future order numbers and whether either are viable for prolonged fleet use.

[ScotchanDry]

Originally Posted by White SW

Maybe a WRX? Quite reliable.

They tried them in the past...but apparently some members frames did not suit the squeezy seats
Apparently!

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Saw a Volvo XC60 highway patrol car on the M1 (NSW) earlier this week.

I think they have had them for a while. They also have LandCruiser and an F150 Raptor highway patrol cars.
I think the Volvo and LandCruiser are used in more rural and snowy regions.

[ozpacman]

Originally Posted by ScotchanDry

They tried them in the past...but apparently some members frames did not suit the squeezy seats
Apparently!

The WRX is simply too small inside. The problem doesn't necessarily exist because of the body size of the officers, I don't believe that coppers are physically any larger than most other work groups, aside from jockeys!

The problem is when you put on a utility belt with holster and then an accoutrement vest loaded up with the gear that's required to be carried these days. Even a skinny bloke would cramp the seat of a WRX once all that stuff is being worn.

The average General Duties officer carries a holstered pistol, two spare magazines with about 30 rounds, a telescopic baton, a holstered Taser, a canister of capsicum spray, a set of handcuffs, a body worn camera, a two-way radio, an audio recorder, pen, notebook, disposable gloves, a torch, a Leatherman or similar tool, and whatever other bits and pieces he or she may need.

When you think about wearing all that stuff you can soon see how you wouldn't want to be jammed into a seat that's on the cozy side to start with!

Russ.

[ScotchanDry]

Originally Posted by ozpacman

The WRX is simply too small inside. The problem doesn't necessarily exist because of the body size of the officers, I don't believe that coppers are physically any larger than most other work groups, aside from jockeys!

The problem is when you put on a utility belt with holster and then an accoutrement vest loaded up with the gear that's required to be carried these days. Even a skinny bloke would cramp the seat of a WRX once all that stuff is being worn.

The average General Duties officer carries a holstered pistol, two spare magazines with about 30 rounds, a telescopic baton, a holstered Taser, a canister of capsicum spray, a set of handcuffs, a body worn camera, a two-way radio, an audio recorder, pen, notebook, disposable gloves, a torch, a Leatherman or similar tool, and whatever other bits and pieces he or she may need.

When you think about wearing all that stuff you can soon see how you wouldn't want to be jammed into a seat that's on the cozy side to start with!

Russ.

Absolutely correct l was being flipant, I would not be comfortable cruising all day in one of the older ones with no accessories.