BMW to supply engines for US squad cars

[csv8]

BMW to supply engines for US squad cars
KEN THOMAS
March 25, 2010 - 7:19AM

AP

Carbon Motors Corp, a new company planning to produce fuel-efficient police cruisers, said on Monday it had chosen Germany's BMW AG to supply its engines.

Carbon Motors is developing the Carbon E7 squad car, which it says is the first vehicle specifically designed for police use.

The prototype includes bulletproof door and dash panels, radiation and biological threat detectors and diesel engines that can reduce fuel costs by up to 40 per cent.

The company, based in Connersville, Indiana, said BMW will supply more than 240,000 diesel engines for the squad car, which could get more than 35 miles per gallon.

The inline six-cylinder engine includes cooling and exhaust gas systems and automatic transmissions.

Carbon Motors is awaiting approval of a $US310 million ($A337.32 million) federal loan so it can begin production of the energy-efficient police car, which is expected to begin in 2013.

Chief Executive William Santana Li said the company had cleared an initial hurdle with the Energy Department and was hoping to receive approval this summer.

The upstart company is bringing fresh competition to the US police car market. Ford Motor Co, which sells 70 per cent of all US police cars, recently revealed its new Police Interceptor sedan, based on the Ford Taurus, which will replace the Crown Victoria-based cruiser at the end of 2011.

Chrysler Group LLC has a Dodge Charger-based police car that captured 18 per cent of US sales last year while General Motors Co plans to relaunch the Chevrolet Caprice police car after a 15-year absence. GM also sells a police car based on the Chevrolet Impala.

Li said the E7 squad car was "designed by law enforcement, exclusively for law enforcement" after receiving months of feedback from police officers. He said 350 US law enforcement agencies have placed over 13,000 orders for the vehicle.

© 2010 AP

[blueline]

Those E7 squad cars look horrible, sorta looks like a suzuki mated with a set of christmas tree lights.

[388cube_edxr8]

Originally Posted by csv8

The inline six-cylinder engine includes cooling and exhaust gas systems and automatic transmissions.

Doesn't pretty much any engine ever produced have a cooling system and an exhaust system?

[blueline]

i'm assuming they mean that bmw takes care of the emission, intake and cooling side of things, all the ancillary bits so their engine works to it's optimum thing-a-me-jig levels.

[geckoGT]

I think it looks a bit 300c, quite impressive specs and some very interesting features. I find it very interesting the way they have built the high intensity LED emergency beacons into the pillars and roof line, very cool.

It will be interesting to see how Ford and GM compete with this beast, hard to compete with a car that truly is purpose built, not just modified.

I think the stumbling point for this vehicle is going to be cost. Most "modified" police vehicles can be transformed back to standard and sold when they are too old. You can not do this with a purpose built vehicle such as this, so there is no recovery of costs when the vehicle reaches the end of it's operational life.

[S3SR]

only problem is when it comes time to sell.. do they crush them or strip them.... cant have people buying cars with built in shotgun holsters on the side of your seat... or an air horn and siren button in the console .... tazer chargers even...

[DTFRMONT]

Originally Posted by S3SR

only problem is when it comes time to sell.. do they crush them or strip them.... cant have people buying cars with built in shotgun holsters on the side of your seat... or an air horn and siren button in the console .... tazer chargers even...

From what I've heard, apparently they either have to be returned to the factory for destruction or to be resold to another police department....