EXCLUSIVE: Commodore cop cars for the US

[JA SV8]

http://www.smh.com.au/drive/motor-news/exclusive-commodore-cop-cars-for-the-us-20090917-fs3b.html

General Motors says it is hopeful of winning a lucrative contract to supply re-badged Holden Commodores to US law enforcement agencies. By RICHARD BLACKBURN.

Holden could soon be exporting Commodores to the United States again.

The company’s billion dollar export program ground to a halt at the end of last year after Holden’s parent company, General Motors, axed the Pontiac brand in the United States. Holden was selling re-badged Commodores as Pontiac G8s in the States.

But in an exclusive interview with Drive.com.au at the Frankfurt motor show yesterday, General Motors boss Fritz Henderson said the company was making good progress with a plan to sell the Commodore to US law enforcement agencies.



Great news for the Aust car industry if it happens! (and jobs!) Great to see them looking for options.

[Knawful]

This was getting bandied about when GM started to go under.

[Mikey]

This was getting bandied about when GM started to go under.Yes but this is dated 17-09-09 and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then!

[Excellent]

http://www.theage.com.au/drive/motor-news/exclusive-commodore-cop-cars-for-the-us-20090917-fs3b.html

[Ellistwo]

That should get the Ford boys hackles up LOL. I'll believe it when I see it.

Probably won't happen, they will have run out of bonnets.

[Pickles]

Good News.....IF IF IF it's true. Bob Lutz, great man that he is, has raised & lowered our hopes so many times with this one.
But it SHOULD be true shouldn't it? The Yanks wouldn't have anything else like the G8 would they...I mean, a good V8 & RWD would be the ideal Police Car.....What are they using now....some sort of Ford isn't it?
Cheers, Pickles.

[theVman]

Yes but this is dated 17-09-09 and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then!

Which is today last time I checked. This will be great is Holden and GM can pull it off.

[SteveK]

That should get the Ford boys hackles up LOL. I'll believe it when I see it.

White Holden > Yellow Ford. :D

[brend04]

any holden > taxi ford

[zorro]

I mean, a good V8 & RWD would be the ideal Police Car.....What are they using now....some sort of Ford isn't it?
Cheers, Pickles.

Most states still use the For Crown Victoria, lazy V8 with 4spd auto. A mate of mine had one over here, drssed it up in US law colours and drove it around for a bit. The things are slow tanks, and the police spec ones are not much diff to the std cab version.

BUT in saying that there are other vehicles used by the US Police

[XUV]

If they can get around their ( USA ) protection laws ,
and only if the unions sign off on it - WTO , what WTO


Coz I think American Cop cars have to
A - Be American made
and
B - Be rear wheel drive .

but hey :goodjob: if they can get it passed .

even if we just sell them the rolling body sans motor and trans .

seems silly to import the motor just to sell it back , it's not like they're Australia in the '60's and '70's :confused:

[Excellent]

B - Be rear wheel drive .



Not so.

http://www.stillruns.com/cathedral/impala_police_car.jpg

[gmeup]

American Police cars have to be american made, have to be 4door sedans but not rwd, as alot of fwd cop cars going around in the form of impala's. The Highway patrol cars have to be RWD in staying that the chunk of the cop cars in US are RWD and V8

About 70% are the ford crown victoria their specs are
Engine : V8, SOHC, front engine RWD
Displacement : 4,600 cc
Valve : 16 valves, 2 valves per cylinder
Transmission : 4-spd automatic
Fuel economy : city - 16 mpg
highway - 22 mpg

Horsepower : 235 hp @ 4750 rpm
Torque : 275 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
0-60 mph : 8.7 sec.

Curb Weight : 4020 lbs
Overall length : 212.0 in.
Wheelbase : 114.7 in.
Overall Width : 78.2 in.
Height : 56.8 in.


Alot of cops in US are using the dodge charger now that is 4 door rwd v8 368hp 5.7 v8 hemi so that car will most likely win the contract not the commodore but you never know.

http://www.zercustoms.com/news/2009-Dodge-Charger-police-car.html

[Hamico]

This would be so good for Holden, and the yanks to have a decent cop car

[SteveK]

Am I the only one thinking "Cool, we're gonna see some nice kit being used as cop cars in Hollywood movies and TV shows?". :)

[CLUBRED]

Must be american made thing v's a car they actually want - I wonder who will win out.

[rouseabout]

I heard from a manager at Holden's Elizabeth plant that they are looking at 30000, thats THIRTY THOUSAND Holdens, not Commodores but Statesmans. The biggest holdup with the contract is the ability to supply that many cars quickly. A good problem to have I suppose!

[Excellent]

The Canadian police force are also interested. :goodjob:

[ATOMICSS]

Here we are talking about how good a VE police car would be in the US, but our coppers here, at least in one state, complain that its unsafe for them to participate in high speed chases over 140km/hr in what they describe as "basic family sedans". Perhaps theyre hanging out for the govt to buy them Merc E55s or somehting?

[alpha1]

http://http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab25/adsute/lapd2-625x390.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab25/adsute/lapd2-625x390.jpg?t=1253198865


http://http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab25/adsute/lapd2-625x390.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab25/adsute/lapd2-625x390.jpg?t=1253198865

The NYPD Squad car and the Aussie SS Chaser look cool side by side....the more i see the G8 the more im liking it...

[gmeup]

Here we are talking about how good a VE police car would be in the US, but our coppers here, at least in one state, complain that its unsafe for them to participate in high speed chases over 140km/hr in what they describe as "basic family sedans". Perhaps theyre hanging out for the govt to buy them Merc E55s or somehting?



Thats really not true 140kmph is nothing, in Europe the cops drive astra hatch backs in a heap of countries and do 150kmph on the freeways and thats not pursuits thats just driving around to get somewhere.

Australia is just to regulated with road rules we have one of the worlds highest fatalitys for our population with the most regulated and enforced road rules in the world yet we crash and kill our selfs more than countries that have stuff all regulations and rules on the road.

[Tyre biter]

Thats really not true 140kmph is nothing, in Europe the cops drive astra hatch backs in a heap of countries and do 150kmph on the freeways and thats not pursuits thats just driving around to get somewhere.

Australia is just to regulated with road rules we have one of the worlds highest fatalitys for our population with the most regulated and enforced road rules in the world yet we crash and kill our selfs more than countries that have stuff all regulations and rules on the road.

Really? Last time I looked we were running around 12.5 per 100,000 - same as the overall EU average within a point or two. Yes, the UK is in the sixes but the 12's are about bench mark with a number of western countries and a shed-load better than India at 1050 odd! Further, the fatality rate has plummeted here since the early 70's when we were killing around 3,500 pa I think it was - nowadays it sits around 1800 and has remained fairly consistent of the past several years despite the country's vehicle fleet increasing several fold.

Much of the regulation you speak about is the reason why the figures are lower - mandatory seat belts, Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol offences (as opposed to the old DUI offence), RBT, ADR's for both vehicles and roads, licensing requirements, Drug Testing, the setting of minimum speed limits, the catergorisation of vehicles and the alike are all examples of how regulations have played their part.

The big question facing our law/policy makers, Police and the community in the face of a relatively stagnant fatality count, is how do we make the numbers decrease once again.

Cheers, TB

[gmeup]

Sorry I was also referring to our accidents non fatal, that are very high too. For our size of population its very poor.

[XUV]

The big question facing our law/policy makers, Police and the community in the face of a relatively stagnant fatality count, is how do we make the numbers decrease once again.

Cheers, TB

While we persist in going more than 60kph , there will be fatalities , there's no getting around that

Yet it's the constant over regulation , the '' we want a low road toll , so we'll ban everything and lower the speed limit to frustrate the user ''
that causes fatalities .

Sitting on the highway at a mind numbing 100kph , slowly falling asleep .

Or getting on a perfect , billiard table smooth toll way and paying to have your brain numbed .

Toll roads for starters should have a higher speed limit , to get the flow going and to encourage use ,
the fact that getting on a toll road , doing 130 kph and taking time off your trip ,
instead of '' I'll cut through some residential back roads and save 10 bucks ''.
attitude which road rule makers encourage .

I got a set of personal plate and on the yearly fee we pay for them in N.S.W.
It said '' This fee goes to making N.S.W. roads safer '' I yet to see evidence of this .

We still have Bi-centennial road projects that haven't been completed .

Take drunk , drugged and txting drives off the road by all means ,
but please allow the traffic to flow .
:soap: offtopic I know but hey ya never know who might be reading this .

[Tyre biter]

...Sitting on the highway at a mind numbing 100kph , slowly falling asleep...Toll roads for starters should have a higher speed limit , to get the flow going and to encourage use ,the fact that getting on a toll road, doing 130 kph and taking time off your trip...

You are spot on XUV, I read a paper a few years back now and it issued 'scientific evidence', ie: a study or some sort, that purported 100/110km/h was a bad speed for causing fatigue and inattention whereas 130km/h was said to be spot on. Something to do with the way the brain works toward the type and more importantly the frequency of road noise. In fact a few countries raised the limit to 130km/h as a result of similar 'studies' - Italy was one of them from memory - and the crash rate and fatality rate fell. When John Anderson was the Deputy PM and also the Minister for Roads and Transport he made noises about the issues with a 100/110km/h speed restriction but unfortunately he retired from Federal Parliament before anything came of it.

Back on topic, has the UAW been substantially weakened by the GCC and its impact upon the manufacturers that their influence has substantially weakened thereby now endorsing the importation of this number of vehicles? I remember this being a major hurdle in the past for this proposal, and thereby essentially limiting US Police and other government vehicles to those carrying a 'Made in the USA' sticker.

Cheers, TB

[Growler]

I'm not too sure that US cop cars have to be made in the USA, I think the Crown Vic's are made in Mexico and the Impalas in Canada.

[gmeup]

I'm not too sure that US cop cars have to be made in the USA, I think the Crown Vic's are made in Mexico and the Impalas in Canada.

That is true the cars are not made in US but canada, etc but the offical US laws state that they have to be american made. Wheather that means they have to be made by an american owned company or they have to be built on american soil im not sure.

[V-Car]

Seems like it might be happening.



Rick Kranz
Automotive News
October 2, 2009 - 2:02 pm ET

Chevrolet plans to announce Monday that it will offer a rear-drive police car that appears likely to be based on the Pontiac G8 sedan.
Chevrolet will outline the strategy at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in Denver, the division said in an e-mail today.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091002/ANA02/910029991/1261&AssignSessionID=973338460529080

[mutual_master]

Chevrolet Caprice PPV confirmed.

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/2011-chevroletcapriceppv-holdenstatesmanbased-02.jpg

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/44007/holden-statesman-based-chevrolet-caprice-police-patrol-vehicle-confirmed/

That was a bit unexpected!!

No idea if Holden is involved...

[Brandonsdad]

Has anyone told Obama that the VE's have huge A Pillars?:stick::clown:

[MARTY]

More pics here -

http://gm.wieck.com/forms/gm/*query?holden&source=all

[Jac001]

That is true the cars are not made in US but canada, etc but the offical US laws state that they have to be american made. Wheather that means they have to be made by an american owned company or they have to be built on american soil im not sure.

If this happens, i would suspect that the first couple of years are suppllied by holden whislt a plant in the US (or canada) is re-tooled to build it over there....

[VESportswagon20]

This definately looks like its a done deal.....

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2009/large-passenger/holden/caprice/holden-unveils-police-caprice-16924


Forget the spin, the export order for USA is a done deal. Cars will be on the beat from 2011
» Get the best price on a new Holden
Holden is on the brink of announcing its biggest-ever customer order.

Long rumoured, the deal to sell Holden-built Chev badged cars to US police forces is essentially a done deal. In fact, it's so close to done that Holden chief Alan Batey was in Denver today to press the flesh with the boys in blue.

In an effort to secure its share of the US police car market, the Aussie carmaker and its Chairman trekked to Denver and the world's biggest police exhibition IAPC (International Association of Police Chiefs Conference) to unveil a special edition of its Gulf States WM-based Caprice sedan -- complete with gun rack and prisoner barrier. And while Holden execs in Australia are playing their cards close to their chests (there will be a waterdown announcement tomorrow) we can exclusively report that the deal is done. Holden-built police cars will be on the beat Stateside by early 2011.

As noted above, the new car will be sold in North America as a Chevrolet with the aim of taking a large slice of the 70,000 police sedan sales each year. Indeed, if the car proves popular with forces across the USA, Holden could end up selling more sedans to North America as police cars than it sells sedans in total in Australia.

The stalwart US police car for the past two decades, the Ford Crown Victoria, is coming to an end in 12 months and, until today, there was no viable replacement.

"This is all systems go," the boss of Holden, Alan Batey told the Carsales Network at IAPC in Denver today.

"We are here to get as much customer feedback as possible but as far as we're concerned this is full steam ahead for us. We have already been working on this for 12 months."

Batey said production of the police cars would start at the end of 2010, putting cars on the beat in early 2011.

The Caprice is shorter in overall length but has a roomier cabin than the outgoing Ford sedan. It also out manoeuvers and outpaces the aging Crown Victoria.

Holden will sell V8 versions first but direct-injected V6 version will follow nine months later.

"This is a big deal for Australia and for us and we're going to do all we can to get it right."

Batey will visit police chiefs across the USA this week, including the high profile Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) which has been working with Melbourne-based company, National Safety Agency, on an onboard police computer system which could be fitted to the cars.

The LAPD will have a Pontiac G8 (the US market version of the Commodore SS) on the road next week as part of a three-month trial of the police computer technology.

LAPD deputy chief Charles Beck described the car and its computer system -- which integrates 27 devices into one large touch screen display -- as: "the closest thing to the holy grail of police cars" he'd seen in his career.

The Police Caprice export deal comes less than six months after Holden was floored with the announcement that the Commodore-based Pontiac G8 export program to the USA would be axed as part of General Motors' post bankruptcy restructure.

The Carsales Network first uncovered Holden's lucrative deal with North America's police force in February, when our eagle-eyed Editor spotted a Pontiac G8 in LAPD livery parked outside Holden's head office.
-- with staff

[Evman]

Bloody hell, isiot reporters still get it wrong;


GM has built the Caprice PPV on the longer version of the Zeta platform which underpins the Holden Ute and Statesman.

Pay attention, the ute is on the short wheelbase now :idea:

Powered by an LS2 is interesting and :lol: at the 18" steelies

[macca33]

Gotta love when the standard 'fit-out' includes an M4 in the rack!!!

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/2011-chevroletcapriceppv-holdenstatesmanbased-03.jpg

Hopefully they'll sell a heap and bring some focus back towards the Commodore platform.

cheers

[ATOMICSS]

The aussie coppers in their Omegas are going to be jealous seeing those things. Intreresting they are only talking about a portion of the 70000 strong police car market, does that mean theyre only avaialble to the donut munchers and not the general public.

[Pickles]

I also heard about the Police Car deal on the News this morning. Sensational news for Holden if it's true.
Cheers Pickles.

[Fnomna]

http://www.chevroletcapriceppv.com/

[Brandonsdad]

Imagine an LAPD in a pursuit, and then all of a sudden the battery goes flat.
Hopefully this gets fixed first.:rofl:

Overall, this is great for Holdens and the English immigrants that make them in Elisabeff.:)

[Bobman]

I say it's great news for Australia. Who cares if Ford or Holden got the ticket? Just be glad that some local cars will be on the streets over there.

Surprised they chose the longer wheel base though for this type of role over the Omega. Looks like a decent car with all the goodies. Be quite a difference over the old Ford cruisers.

[Hamico]

Surprised they chose the longer wheel base though for this type of role over the Omega. Looks like a decent car with all the goodies. Be quite a difference over the old Ford cruisers.

Years ago, that's all the cops in the US drove were the big American Chevy Caprices, which actually don't look too dissimilar to our Statesman in profile, it could easily pass as a new generation Caprice in American and no-one would know it came from Australia.

[Ghia351]

I say it's great news for Australia. Who cares if Ford or Holden got the ticket? Just be glad that some local cars will be on the streets over there.

Surprised they chose the longer wheel base though for this type of role over the Omega. Looks like a decent car with all the goodies. Be quite a difference over the old Ford cruisers.
Congratulations to Holden. As a matter of interest what are/were the competing vehicles?

I think the LWB cars were offered due to bigger boot space, greater interior room to fit the protective screens and they are closer in size to the dinosaur Crown Vic., or so the Holden manager mentioned on 3AW this morning.

[Bobman]

Wonder if they will go side-by-side with the new Doge Chargers that are becoming more popular over there?

[Mozz]

Longer wheelbase than the standard commodore or falcon would be an advantage - the oz police cars once fitted with a cage have little room left for rear seat comfort.

I also understand that the US police don't change their vehicles over anywhere near as often as here in Oz which would help the business case to use a more niche LWB platform over and above the general run of the mill normal wheel base vehicles.

Although it is generally in keeping with the principle of the more you have to do to a vehicle over and above the general duties police vehicle the longer you need to keep it to recoup the investment - nudge bars, gun racks etc being just a couple of the additions over and above the stock fitouts.

[theVman]

I think the Dodge Charger was the main competition. Charger is slightly smaller - but not by much (very deceiving car size wise). The Statesman is slightly shorter than a crown - so LWB seems to be the wise choice here with the basic interior package.

Good win for Holden and GM. A cut of a 70,000 vehicle fleet is far better than trying to sell and promote cars to the public. I do hope it spurs an export deal for retail sale however.

[Spoolin]

If this deal goes a head, good on GMH! Well done on a great effort.
The only negative I have, why the f@*k does this have to denegrate to GMH V Ford battle....empty vessels make the most noise:rofl:

[Excellent]

My understanding is there are no real orders for the Chevrolet Caprice, it is just GM's only RWD car offered to service the US police force. In other words, nobody knows how many cars will be ordered, is that right?

[mrtockley]

Having a look at http://www.caradvice.com.au/43306/chevrolet-caprice-law-enforcement-vehicles-headed-to-us/ today, I was firstly pretty excited to see this as it will only be a good thing for Holden, But ..

Having a look at the list of extras that the Caprice has over our cop cars, made it a bit disappointing. Some of the extras that they will be fitting to their cars are : * High-output alternator
* Engine oil and transmission coolers
* Standard 18-inch steel wheels with bolt-on centre caps
* Large, four-wheel disc brakes with heavy-duty brake pads
* Heavy-duty suspension components
* Police-calibrated stability control system
* Driver information centre in the instrument cluster with selectable speed tracking feature.

Makes you wonder how the US police forces are more deserving of these mods than we are. We get stuck with the standard Omega and they get the Caprice. Shows how far we are behind the States (and the rest of the world) in our Police Forces ...

[alpha1]

yer ive seen quite a few Mitsubishi cop cars in NSW,,, obviously GD cars and not highway patrol...they look bloody terrible.

Im not sure what extras VE cop cars are fitted with, i know that use transmission cooling in the SS range.

Im sure if our state governments ordered 70000 cop cars then I imagine holden would kindly upgrade them to the Statesman and throw extras in to boot... at no extra cost.

More importantly I think its just good news for Aussie jobs :goodjob: well done Holden.

[Evman]

It all costs money and everyone complains about how much tax they have to pay already.

[gmeup]

Having a look at http://www.caradvice.com.au/43306/chevrolet-caprice-law-enforcement-vehicles-headed-to-us/ today, I was firstly pretty excited to see this as it will only be a good thing for Holden, But ..

Having a look at the list of extras that the Caprice has over our cop cars, made it a bit disappointing. Some of the extras that they will be fitting to their cars are : * High-output alternator
* Engine oil and transmission coolers
* Standard 18-inch steel wheels with bolt-on centre caps
* Large, four-wheel disc brakes with heavy-duty brake pads
* Heavy-duty suspension components
* Police-calibrated stability control system
* Driver information centre in the instrument cluster with selectable speed tracking feature.

Makes you wonder how the US police forces are more deserving of these mods than we are. We get stuck with the standard Omega and they get the Caprice. Shows how far we are behind the States (and the rest of the world) in our Police Forces ...

Dude, australia has the best cop cars in the world. Better than US no country in the world can compete with the VE zeta platform SS commodore that our cops have.

US has a 187 kw V8 4.6litre a primitive chassis not even independent rear suspension still uses fords live axle in 2009 and a 4 speed auto.

As for the rest of the world, Europe is sporting 1.6litre diesel fwd hatch backs.
Europe has really bad cop cars just travelled 14 countries last month and i laughted at the crap they drive.

Pretty sure Australia is supplied with the fastest highway patrol cars in the world and not to mention the most safisticated.

NewZealand also would have comparable cop cars but they are supplied from Australia.

[CharlieDontSurf]

Yeah we have a few options for Cop cars. Standard run on the mill omega (6sp auto 190kw, Sports suspension etc etc etc...Not too bad but basic.
Highway patrol: SS or XR6T/8 including allow wheels and everything that comes with them
Divi Van(in Vico) New VE ute divi van will still only have 4sp auto and 175kw hfv6

They all have mobile data terminals, digital radios, beacons side scans, sirens, extra wiring looms and batterys. As we all know Holden already does a police pack and all the states do their own fit out

Beats the Astra's on the Bill thats for sure

[gmeup]

As i mentioned no country can compete with our FG XR6 T and VE SS.

[Carby]

As i mentioned no country can compete with our FG XR6 T and VE SS.

I thought the Germans use Porsches on the Autobahns What are there GD cars - surely not FWD 1.6 litre jobs?

[XUV]

Having a look at http://www.caradvice.com.au/43306/chevrolet-caprice-law-enforcement-vehicles-headed-to-us/ today, I was firstly pretty excited to see this as it will only be a good thing for Holden, But ..

Having a look at the list of extras that the Caprice has over our cop cars, made it a bit disappointing. Some of the extras that they will be fitting to their cars are : * High-output alternator
* Engine oil and transmission coolers
* Standard 18-inch steel wheels with bolt-on centre caps
* Large, four-wheel disc brakes with heavy-duty brake pads
* Heavy-duty suspension components
* Police-calibrated stability control system
* Driver information centre in the instrument cluster with selectable speed tracking feature.
are you saying it's got a cop motor, got cop tires, cop suspensions and cop shocks .........


Makes you wonder how the US police forces are more deserving of these mods than we are. We get stuck with the standard Omega and they get the Caprice. Shows how far we are behind the States (and the rest of the world) in our Police Forces ...

I'd say it's a more of '' give them every bell and whistle and they won't bag if for being Australian ''

plus like every US government contract , there's a base price and then there's the extras price ,
If Holden pull this off , it might just pay for those JSF F-35's we havn't got yet

[gmeup]

I thought the Germans use Porsches on the Autobahns What are there GD cars - surely not FWD 1.6 litre jobs?

i can assure you they dont use porsches..lol they were using bmw 320d wagons in through out germany on the autobahn.

[Carby]

i can assure you they dont use porsches..lol they were using bmw 320d wagons in through out germany on the autobahn.

320d's - they must be in a worse financial situation than the Aussie states, :bawl:looks like they're after economy not speed............

[gmeup]

320d's - they must be in a worse financial situation than the Aussie states, :bawl:looks like they're after economy not speed............

petrol & diesel is 1.65 euro per litre, thats about $2.80 per litre converted to aud we are so lucky still that fuel is cheap compared to europe.

[Brandonsdad]

Having a look at http://www.caradvice.com.au/43306/chevrolet-caprice-law-enforcement-vehicles-headed-to-us/ today, I was firstly pretty excited to see this as it will only be a good thing for Holden, But ..

Having a look at the list of extras that the Caprice has over our cop cars, made it a bit disappointing. Some of the extras that they will be fitting to their cars are : * High-output alternator
* Engine oil and transmission coolers
* Standard 18-inch steel wheels with bolt-on centre caps
* Large, four-wheel disc brakes with heavy-duty brake pads
* Heavy-duty suspension components
* Police-calibrated stability control system
* Driver information centre in the instrument cluster with selectable speed tracking feature.

Makes you wonder how the US police forces are more deserving of these mods than we are. We get stuck with the standard Omega and they get the Caprice. Shows how far we are behind the States (and the rest of the world) in our Police Forces ...

They need some serious hardware, cos they have a lot of serious high speed pursuits. Remember OJ.:)

It seems as though, on tv anyway, that every second car that gets pulled over does a runner. It seems to be in their mentality that the first reaction to having a cop car light you up, is to get away. I think they play Simpsons Hit n Run too much, and I watch COPS too much.

So, I dont think the US cops are more deserving of these mods than we are, its just that they probably get used for that purpose much more frequently. And just imagine rocking up to a Dunkin' Donuts store in a hotted up Caprice. I mean, those large brake discs would look shit hot.
The only thrashing our cop cars get are service time at the local holden Dealership.:rofl:

[gmeup]

They need some serious hardware, cos they have a lot of serious high speed pursuits. Remember OJ.:)

The only thrashing our cop cars get are service time at the local holden Dealership.:rofl:



Yep those pimple faced apprentices drop their load when they get into a V8 cop car..lol

[Bobman]

Lol. Reminds me of the VZ cop car in Adelaide getting it's tyres "warmed up" on You Tube.

[msjwood]

If I remember correctly, WA cops only have access to V6 cars, as V8s are too dangerous :confused:. Seem to remember a cop being killed (woman?) on Great Eastern Hwy near Mundaring a few years ago.
regards, Doc

[BERVY]

May be OT but I cannot get my head around the figure in the news that the LAPD get 70000 new cars per year! Surely that is a mistake? I could imagine 7000 per year...

[V-Car]

Forget the Caprice, this is what they need over there! :lol:

http://www.members.iinet.net.au/~reccie/divvy.jpg

[vzss05]

May be OT but I cannot get my head around the figure in the news that the LAPD get 70000 new cars per year! Surely that is a mistake? I could imagine 7000 per year...

70,000 is the total market for police cars in the US I'll think you will find

[BERVY]

Ahh that is more like it. I must have miss heard.

[gfresh24/7]

Just saw this on Youtube

YouTube - GM unveils new 2011 V-8 Caprice Police Car

[mrtockley]

Dude, australia has the best cop cars in the world. Better than US no country in the world can compete with the VE zeta platform SS commodore that our cops have.

US has a 187 kw V8 4.6litre a primitive chassis not even independent rear suspension still uses fords live axle in 2009 and a 4 speed auto.

As for the rest of the world, Europe is sporting 1.6litre diesel fwd hatch backs.
Europe has really bad cop cars just travelled 14 countries last month and i laughted at the crap they drive.

Pretty sure Australia is supplied with the fastest highway patrol cars in the world and not to mention the most safisticated.

NewZealand also would have comparable cop cars but they are supplied from Australia.

Only the Traffic Management Unit get the SS's. General duty cops get the stock Omega V6 and the div vans will be using the old wheezy V6's and 4 speed autos from what I've heard, even though they carry an extra 250 odd kilos in the form of the pod on the back..

Remember that pursuits account for probably 10% of all high speed use these days, as most pursuits rarely last more than 30 seconds to a minute (in Vic anyway). Safety of the members driving to respond to jobs that require urgent duty driving should be paramount. **** taxes and **** the extra cost. I've been to jobs and got out of the van and the brakes have faded and have literally been smoking.. I went to a job the other day the ended where we ended up saving a young 22 year old girl's life. After going to that job, the transmission in our Omega started making strange noises and has just died and currently at Holden being replaced. I wonder if some oil and tranny coolers (just some of the mods that the US spec cars are getting) would have helped save the tranny ? Contrary to what you may think or have heard, the pimple faced kid at Holden is not the only kid to 'thrash' the cars .. I always laugh when I see personalized plates like XCHASA and the like. I wouldn't go near an ex cop car if you gave it to me ! You'd probably have better luck buying an ex Taxi !

[Bobman]

mrtockley, nice post and good to hear stories from the other "side".

Were you around in the VS Commodore and then the AU/BA Falcon divisional van days?

Agree with the V6 comments, the ones I've seen attending jobs are grossly under-powered for the purpose they serve.

[mrtockley]

mrtockley, nice post and good to hear stories from the other "side".

Were you around in the VS Commodore and then the AU/BA Falcon divisional van days?

Agree with the V6 comments, the ones I've seen attending jobs are grossly under-powered for the purpose they serve.

Thanks mate. I joined just before the BA Falcon was introduced,and never drove the AU (thank Christ). Funnily enough, I'm probably alone in saying that I much preferred the BA Falcon sedan to the current god awful slug of a thing they call the crewman we have at the moment. No offense to anyone that has one, but in stock V6 form, I reckon they would be slugs. Throw on a big pod on the back plus equipment and they seem to take forever to wind up.

I'm actually looking forward to the new div vans though as they won't have the long wheelbase, and they have a heap of newer safety features being based off the VE platform - ESC most importantly. Going sideways in the rain unexpectedly on the way to an urgent job isn't really fun. The thing about the longer wheelbase crewman (in a div van set up) is that it's very difficult to feel when the rear is about to let go. If only they 'trusted' us to drive those hideously powerful V8's :vpo:

[NIXON]

Haha that ute/paddy wagon doesnt look as bad as i thought

[gmeup]

Only the Traffic Management Unit get the SS's. General duty cops get the stock Omega V6 and the div vans will be using the old wheezy V6's and 4 speed autos from what I've heard, even though they carry an extra 250 odd kilos in the form of the pod on the back..

Remember that pursuits account for probably 10% of all high speed use these days, as most pursuits rarely last more than 30 seconds to a minute (in Vic anyway). Safety of the members driving to respond to jobs that require urgent duty driving should be paramount. **** taxes and **** the extra cost. I've been to jobs and got out of the van and the brakes have faded and have literally been smoking.. I went to a job the other day the ended where we ended up saving a young 22 year old girl's life. After going to that job, the transmission in our Omega started making strange noises and has just died and currently at Holden being replaced. I wonder if some oil and tranny coolers (just some of the mods that the US spec cars are getting) would have helped save the tranny ? Contrary to what you may think or have heard, the pimple faced kid at Holden is not the only kid to 'thrash' the cars .. I always laugh when I see personalized plates like XCHASA and the like. I wouldn't go near an ex cop car if you gave it to me ! You'd probably have better luck buying an ex Taxi !

Yes im aware highway patrol get the SS and XR6t, no more xr8s.

General dutys use omega and falcons xt's on lpg these cars are for transport for the police they are not designed for high speed work, also these cars and officers cant enter pursuits with general duty cars plus the officers are usually restricted with their qualications in NSW anyway. My point was our V8Cops cars are a ton better than anything the US have in their Highway patrol.

In terms of tranny coolers, it would be a good ideal if they equip these in aussie cop cars as standard. Im sure they use to put tans oil coolers on the
highway patrol cars years ago, dont think they ever put them in the six's.

[TriShield]

As a matter of interest what are/were the competing vehicles?


https://www.fleet.chrysler.com/v7fleet/StaticFiles/images/law/PolicePoster.jpg (https://www.fleet.chrysler.com/fleetcda/portal?pageid=dbbe365479fe6110VgnVCM100000e9261c35 RCRD&sectionid=fb66cce1be7f5110VgnVCM10000091f4e735RCRD&ptitle=Charger%20Police)

Extremely well-established in the US civilian and law enforcement market already. With the Ford Crown Victoria ceasing production Chrysler was poised to get the majority of the market, until the Caprice was unveiled. Now we'll see.

Charger patrol cars are everywhere here and look excellent in uniform.

[White Rider]

YouTube - Cannonball Run intro

Now lets see one with a Caprice and Murcielago!

[gmeup]

https://www.fleet.chrysler.com/v7fleet/StaticFiles/images/law/PolicePoster.jpg (https://www.fleet.chrysler.com/fleetcda/portal?pageid=dbbe365479fe6110VgnVCM100000e9261c35 RCRD&sectionid=fb66cce1be7f5110VgnVCM10000091f4e735RCRD&ptitle=Charger%20Police)

Extremely well-established in the US civilian and law enforcement market already. With the Ford Crown Victoria ceasing production Chrysler was poised to get the majority of the market, until the Caprice was unveiled. Now we'll see.

Charger patrol cars are everywhere here and look excellent in uniform.


These are nice, i think the Caprice will give them a run for their money though.

[V-Car]

Now that Fiat own Chrysler, the Charger wont be available to law enforcement agencies.
This is what will replace it. ;)

http://www.members.iinet.net.au/~reccie/Fiat500policecar.jpg

[`redoctober]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Wouldn't the big bad policemen look threatening getting out of that ;) :p

[ATOMICSS]

Yes you'de certinly know you were in trouble if pulled up by the charger. Similarly the Caprice (certainly not the Fiat).
Another thing in favour of the Caprice over the charger may be the Charger is available to the GP and common, so likely worth SFA at auction after its four year tour of duty. The Caprice on the other hand could develop a mild cult following due to rarity and fetch a bit at auction.

[Bobman]

That's if they don't destroy them like they did with a few police cars in Victoria in the early 20th century, hehe. Apparently they didn't want the vehicles to fall into public hands.

How about this little beauty from down-town Dandenong?

http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=yv08r9&outx=648&quality=70

[Evman]

Single spinner LOL

8aeyjjNU6lA

Shitty video really, but shows it with lights and sirens going :lol:

[mrtockley]

Single spinner LOL

Haha .. no traction control option ? ? He'd get his car seized in Vitoria for doing that !

[Evman]

Updates (http://www.themotorreport.com.au/44063/chevrolet-caprice-police-patrol-vehicle-officially-revealed/)

Still no guarantee, but it's good to see it's got a good chance :)

[Rub]

certainly looks the goods...

http://automotiverhythms.com/archive/images/pv_2011ChevyCapricePPV_1lg.jpg

http://automotiverhythms.com/archive/images/pv_2011ChevyCapricePPV_3lg.jpg

http://automotiverhythms.com/archive/images/pv_2011ChevyCapricePPV_4lg.jpg

http://automotiverhythms.com/archive/images/pv_2011ChevyCapricePPV_5lg.jpg

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/news/car/09q4/2011_chevrolet_caprice_ppv-car_news/gallery/2011_chevrolet_caprice_police_patrol_vehicle_28ppv _29_interior_photo_40/2911309-1-eng-US/2011_chevrolet_caprice_ppv_5_cd_gallery.jpg

[Carby]

If I were a betting man I'd put the house on the Charger being given the nod. At the end of the day the CAPRICE is not made in the USA. If they are talking 70,000 cars a year, do you think the US government is going to send 2.5 billion dollars overseas in the current climate let alone any economic climate?

[renmike]

If I were a betting man I'd put the house on the Charger being given the nod. At the end of the day the CAPRICE is not made in the USA. If they are talking 70,000 cars a year, do you think the US government is going to send 2.5 billion dollars overseas in the current climate let alone any economic climate?

I haven't read anywhere that the Caprice will only be made in Australia, but I do know that Holden does produce a lot of autos for export. Honestly, and not to knock you guys because I love my G8, but for US police departments to be able to buy thousands of the Caprice's, it will need to be made in North America or a lot a crap will be said about it. Depending on how much it would cost for the tooling, I would imagine there are a few GM plants in the States which could work for that.

As for the Charger and Crown Victoria, they are both currently made in Canada. For the sake of cost, I wouldn't be surprised if GM ever did decide to bring production to NA that they'd put it either in Canada or Mexico...

[V-Car]

I haven't read anywhere that the Caprice will only be made in Australia, but I do know that Holden does produce a lot of autos for export. Honestly, and not to knock you guys because I love my G8, but for US police departments to be able to buy thousands of the Caprice's, it will need to be made in North America or a lot a crap will be said about it. Depending on how much it would cost for the tooling, I would imagine there are a few GM plants in the States which could work for that.

As for the Charger and Crown Victoria, they are both currently made in Canada. For the sake of cost, I wouldn't be surprised if GM ever did decide to bring production to NA that they'd put it either in Canada or Mexico...

The Caprice is also built in China as the Buick Park Avenue and was also offered to Buick dealers in NA a few years ago but they didnt want it.

As the Camaro is built on the same Zeta platform at Oshawa in Canada, Maybe the Caprice could also be integrated into the line pretty easily to keep the 'Built in NA' mob happy.

Holden has said they dont need the NA Police exports for survival of the Caprice here.
Initially some may come from here, but Camaro is not the only Zeta car that will be built in NA, with possibly both short and LWB cars in the future.

OT, but did you see the spray the daughter of Fritz Henderson gave GM on their Facebook page after her CEO father was forced to resign by the board of directors a few days ago? :rofl:

http://jalopnik.com/5416549/daughter-of-resigned-gm-ceo-attacks-new-gm-ceo-on-facebook

[msjwood]

Apart from the crap spelling, it's pretty explicit.
Go girl!!!

[ralcool]

I guessing Australia won't see the touch screen HVAC controls shown in the GM-weick site. Or the factory second battery, or the boot lid mounted warning triangle?... Heavy duty suspension... shocks or control arms?

http://gm.wieck.com/forms/gm/*query?ws4d_nav=true&search_criteria=holden&source=all&page=3

[alto]

**thread mining warning**

are these things in production yet?

I would love a set of 18" steelies for my VX Exec :)

[glavas]

Dude, australia has the best cop cars in the world. Better than US no country in the world can compete with the VE zeta platform SS commodore that our cops have.

US has a 187 kw V8 4.6litre a primitive chassis not even independent rear suspension still uses fords live axle in 2009 and a 4 speed auto.

As for the rest of the world, Europe is sporting 1.6litre diesel fwd hatch backs.
Europe has really bad cop cars just travelled 14 countries last month and i laughted at the crap they drive.

Pretty sure Australia is supplied with the fastest highway patrol cars in the world and not to mention the most safisticated.

NewZealand also would have comparable cop cars but they are supplied from Australia.

wrong friend. italy has 6 lamboginis for there highway patrol and england has some jaguars. but yes in general australia very god police cars. evo's,,ss's,xr6t's even a hummer. i even got pulled over by a big izuzu truck that they use too tow horse floats.

[VYSHSV8]

wrong friend. italy has 6 lamboginis for there highway patrol and england has some jaguars. but yes in general australia very god police cars. evo's,,ss's,xr6t's even a hummer. i even got pulled over by a big izuzu truck that they use too tow horse floats.

Not to mention Lancruiser utes as well turbo versions and still is an old 75's series or maybe the 78's still running around here in WA

[theVman]

VYSHSV8 what on earth were you doing to get pulled over by that? Thats worse than being done by a paddy wagon!

[VYSHSV8]

VYSHSV8 what on earth were you doing to get pulled over by that? Thats worse than being done by a paddy wagon!

Nah didn't pull me over pulled a car over running up emergency lane on FWY:lol:

[H5VT0NN3R]

Nah didn't pull me over pulled a car over running up emergency lane on FWY:lol:

Now that's got too be embarrasing.

Nice to see though that the yanks still want our cars even if it is just for the coppers.

[NRD80Y]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/127789/chevrolet-caprice-ppv-sold-to-the-public-in-dealer-loophole/

A small number of Australian-made Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles have found their way into public hands after a US dealer took advantage of a loophole in Chevrolet’s contract.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/chevrolet-caprice-detective-criswell.jpg

So I wonder who were the lucky two Americans who snagged these :goodjob:

Hopefully they're enthusiasts that will appreciate where they came from :)

Still find it strange that GM just doesn't decide to sell the Commodore and Caprice as Chevys in the US

[mrtockley]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/127789/chevrolet-caprice-ppv-sold-to-the-public-in-dealer-loophole/

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/chevrolet-caprice-detective-criswell.jpg

So I wonder who were the lucky two Americans who snagged these :goodjob:

Hopefully they're enthusiasts that will appreciate where they came from :)

Still find it strange that GM just doesn't decide to sell the Commodore and Caprice as Chevys in the US

Sad how the US can sell them for pretty much the price of an Omega here..

[CLUBRED]

Isn't that basically what they are though, with a mashup front end? They didn't even have power windows..

[mrtockley]

Isn't that basically what they are though, with a mashup front end? They didn't even have power windows..

From my understanding, they are the based off the Caprice - long wheel base, and I'd say that they didn't have rear power windows installed, for transporting crooks. They still have a 6.0 lt V8 though.