Ford tries to wean cops from Crown Vic with new Taurus

Ford is trying to maintain its dominance in the police car market even though it will be ending production of the full-size Crown Victoria in 2011.

The big Ford sedan, which has been a fleet-sales-only vehicle since 2007, is the last of the body-on-frame, rear-wheel drive passenger cars available to law enforcement agencies. Basically unchanged for decades, it has become the de facto standard with about 85 percent of the market. Officers are willing to put up with the fact that many cars, including the Honda Accord, can outrun the Crown Vic, because it offers room for their equipment and rear-wheel drive offers better handling during acceleration the the front-wheel drive Chevrolet Impala.

The rear-wheel-drive Dodge Charger easily outperforms the Crown Vic, but some departments claim there are reliability issues. A more likely explanation is the fact departments and equipment manufacturers have become so accustomed to the big sedan, they have millions of dollars tied up in parts and tooling that they have not had to change for years.

While the total volume of the police market is just about 75,000 vehicles annually, the Crown Victoria represents almost pure profit to Ford which has had to devote almost no resources to upgrading or marketing the car for many years. In addition, Ford recognizes the cachet attached to police cars and the fact it gets the Ford name out to more consumers at nearly zero cost.

Unfortunately, the Crown Vic is not exempt from the new CAFE and other government requirements, so it will have a negative impact on Ford’s ability to comply. Ford will also be losing its lock on the taxicab market, especially in New York City, due to changing requirements that the Crown Vic cannot meet. For this reason, it is trying to shift fleet buying to its new Taurus front-wheel drive sedan.

The Taurus has yet to be evaluated by the Michigan State Police or the California Highway Patrol but, while a well-reviewed car, it lacks many of the advantages of the Crown Victoria. It is a front-wheel-drive sedan with only a six-cylinder engine and is smaller in both the trunk and passenger compartment. It is currently only going to be offered with a console shifter. In addition, the Taurus name is not well-regarded in police circles because previous Taurus police packages could not hold up to police use.

The end of the Crown Victoria can represent a major opportunity for Dodge to promote adoption of the Charger by more agencies. This will involve Chrysler Group reaching out to aftermarket suppliers of emergency equipment and fleet managers to help them in the transition but, since General Motors has decided against importing the Holden platform used for the Pontiac G8 and marketing it as a Chevrolet for police use, the Charger will become the only rear-wheel-drive, V8-powered passenger car with a column-mounted shifter available for law enforcement purchase. Since the Charger is also available with a six-cylinder engine, Chrysler Group will be in a unique position as the only producer of a vehicle suitable for urban patrol for metropolitan police agencies and high-speed pursuit for county sheriff, state police and highway patrol agencies.