Ford to Unveil New Police Interceptor 3/12/2010
 

http://www.fordpoliceinterceptorreveal.com/

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/13/b...ce-intercepto/

In a surprise move, Ford has announced that it will pursue the development of an all-new Police Interceptor model. The move comes on the heels of General Motors' announcement that it plans to challenge the Crown Victoria's law enforcement dominance with its own heavy-duty Chevrolet Caprice sedan.

Details are slim, but Ford says the forthcoming PI will arrive in 2011 and it will sport durability, safety, and performance parameters that are superior to that of the Jurassic Panther-platform Crown Vic. Given the relatively tight timeframe and durability targets, we have to assume that the replacement cop car could be based on the rear-drive Australian-market Ford Falcon shown above. The Blue Oval promises that the car will be engineered and built in America, so it could also be an Ecoboost version of the Ford Taurus (as seen in the SHO), but front-drive cars have had trouble meeting the durability and cost requirements of police duty in the past, making this something of an open question. In an official release posted after the jump, Ford says it will disclose full vehicle specs in the first quarter of 2010, which should give enough time for both law enforcement and police vehicle equipment manufacturers to prepare for the changeover.

Ford says it presently shifts about 45,000 of the 60,000 police cars sold in the States each year, so it makes sense that Dearborn would not be willing to cede this market to Chevy's Caprice and the already established Dodge Charger.

[Source: Ford]


PRESS RELEASE:

FORD ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF ALL-NEW POLICE INTERCEPTOR FOR LAW ENFORCMENT USE NATIONWIDE

* Ford confirms development plans of an all-new Ford Police Interceptor and affirms continued commitment to the police and municipal vehicle businesses
* New Police Interceptor's durability, safety and performance will exceed the existing Crown Victoria's law enforcement vehicle lineup
* Ford is the market leader in the law enforcement vehicle segment, selling 45,000 of the 60,000 police vehicles sold in each year in the U.S.

Dearborn, Mich., Nov. 13, 2009 – Ford Motor Company announced today it will produce an all-new purpose-built Police Interceptor specially designed and engineered to replace the Ford Crown Victoria law enforcement vehicle lineup in 2011.

The new Ford Police Interceptor is being developed in conjunction with Ford's Police Advisory Board, which provided input during the past 14 months on key vehicle attributes, such as safety, performance, durability, driver convenience and comfort. The new Police Interceptor will be offered without interruption when production of the Ford Crown Victoria ends in late 2011.

"We have heard the repeated requests from the law enforcement community to continue uninterrupted support of the law enforcement community," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "Ford is answering the call with the new Police Interceptor – engineered and built in America."
Ford – which currently controls approximately 75 percent of the police pursuit vehicle business in the U.S. – has invested significantly in designing the purpose-built new police and municipal vehicles to meet the needs of these crucial customers.

The new Police Interceptor is designed to provide municipalities with reduced ownership costs through improved fuel efficiency, quality and the kind of durability police departments nationwide have come to expect from Ford.

"Ford's commitment to the law enforcement community produced the Crown Victoria, the benchmark police vehicle," said Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a member of Ford's Police Advisory Board. "This commitment has continued, and Ford has been working closely with the Police Advisory Board on developing the new Police Interceptor. I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard."

Ford plans to reveal the new model and provide full vehicle specifications in the first quarter of 2010 – in time for law enforcement agencies, police equipment manufacturers and upfitters to develop a transition plan from the Crown Victoria to the new product.

Each year, Ford sells approximately 45,000 police vehicles, making the Blue Oval the nation's largest provider of police and municipal vehicles.

"Ford long has supported our public servants with vehicles that work as hard as they do," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service. "We intend to build on this legacy with a new generation of municipal and police vehicles that set even higher standards."

Should be interesting to follow...:yes:

Ford is making a huge mistake.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/asp/modu...ptor/video.asp

Nobody liked a FWD Taurus in 1991, and nobody wants one now, either.

Departments across the country are going to be flocking to the new V8 Caprice.

The 91 was a slow turd. The new PI should be quicker than the current CVPI, get better mileage, and hopefully will be reliable and cheap to maintain. I didn't see what the new PI will retail for, but I know the SHO isn't cheap.

The '91 was actually not that slow, compared to the '91 CV. I drove both in service. They were unreliable POS's, and the department I worked for at the time only kept them for a year and then dumped them.

The CVPIs now are friggin tanks. I just got an '09 to replace my '05. I also had a "Taurus" for a few months....when it was called a 500.

No, thanks. They will be worse than the Impalas that everyone dislikes and Ford is going to lose out big on this one. Just my humble .02¢ .

I watched the video of the unveil. It is certainly based upon the new Taurus platform, but did they say that it was going to be front wheel drive. I didn't catch whether that was mentioned.

The following statement should not be regarded as a statement on whether it will be a good LEO car or not...I'm no expert in that regard. Keep in mind the Taurus in the dealer showroom now is not the 500 that was rebranded a "Taurus". In my opinion no comparisions, it's just a diff't car.

It actually is, Mike. The same platform as the previous Taurus and rebadged 500 (and Volvo S80, too).

Ford already had a RWD car they could have brought to the US market, just like what Chevy is doing.

Is that going to be one of the "other" cars they make available to PD's or is that just going to be a 4 wheel drive Explorer type car?

I'm on my phone so I can't link, but I think it's the Falcon from Australia.

The two main problems I see with this new Taurus Interceptor are 1) Front wheel drive cars are CRAPPY patrol vehicles. I could list all the standard problems with trying to use a front drive vehicle for patrol, but any of us who have ever tried to use one will understand this fact. 2) I am not sure how many motor pools are going to want to have to deal with a twin turbo charged engine or all-wheel drive. Any cost savings on fuel will be more than offset by maintenence costs.

Actually they mentioned AWD and twin turbos. I am wondering about the reliability of those items. I agree with Mike, I think Chevrolet is going to be right back into the police car business. I dont believe the Impala is being discontinued, so they will have both flavors (FWD & RWD) to choose from. Dodge is also working on a updated Charger. I did find it interesting on the site, the mention of the CV being the car of choice after 1998. Considering GM had gotten out, I think they became the most popular be default. Michigan's annual vehicle tests should be interesting next year, especially if Carbon Motors enters the arena.



Jerry
91 X-CHP
#8990 (For Sale)

Not sure if this was a typo or not but I just read "18 inch vented disc brakes". 18 inch brakes???? not sure the steel wheels on this thing are even that big.

I had the pleasure of riding in one of our 500s yesterday. It has 80K miles on it, and the agent assigned to it is retiring this summer (he's past mandatory, and he didn't want to accept a new car) . The car hasn't been abused or used for regular LE work. He had it floored on the way up the freeway ramp and we were literally at 40mph. Apparently, the warning light for the "drivetrain", including AWD, has been coming on and off for awhile, and I'm not sure if it was in a "limp home" mode or what.

I know they lost the CVT and changed the engine line-up, but I can't see these cars lasting like the CV's do.

Mike, it'll be interesting to see how the new Taurus chassis and drivetrain stands up to police use. From what I've read, the new Police Interceptor is a totally different car than the 500 that it replaced. Only time will tell if the new PI will be as durable as the outgoing CVPI.

Bill,

It's the same platform (D3) as the 500, and the rebadged "Taurus" 500 as well.

Here's an article from Popular Mechanics that discusses it.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/4322503

The police car is Taurus-based.

Thanks for the link Mike. I was told the new Taurus and the Lincoln MKS were a different chassis than the previous 500/Taurus. Thanks for clarifying that.

Still, the new Taurus sounds like it is a very different animal than the 500/Taurus (even in that article). I have yet to drive the new Taurus (which the PI will be based upon), but I'm hopeful that the new PI will be a suitable replacement for the CVPI.

The prospect of switching to a front wheel drive cruiser is not one ANYBODY that I know is looking forward to. I am pushing for the Chargers or 2 wheel drive Tahoes for my agency. I think Ford is going to lose a huge chunk of the market with this bone headed move away from rear wheel drive.

It looks like I will be attending the MSP police car testing later this year to see how this car stands up against the competiton.

No prob.

I was hopeful before the announcement was made....

Top speed and braking are great, but I think the durability factor is a big one. I think that they should add a curb-jumping event. :)

I got a mini brochure in the mail from Ford on the new PI

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ever/Page1.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ever/Page2.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ever/Page3.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ever/Page4.jpg

Thanks for posting that, Eric.

I guess "purpose-built" means different things to different people. I'll give them credit for the interior redesign, but the rest is the SOS.