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Dodge Seeking To Dethrone Crown Victorias

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By JEFF KAROUB, The Associated Press

Published: November 24, 2007

DETROIT - The police car you see on the roadside - or in your rearview mirror, if luck's not on your side - might not look like you expected.

The sporty upstart Dodge Charger is aiming to challenge the Ford Crown Victoria as chief of police cars. Chrysler's full-sized model that debuted in 2006 is no immediate threat to the Crown Vic or Chevrolet Impala, the market's other major player, but the Charger is gaining momentum as national tests cite its speed and handling.

"We've been steadily gaining market share and acceptance for the police vehicle since its inception," said Chrysler spokeswoman Shawn Morgan. "We see that trend continuing."

The market for police vehicles is a small dent in the automotive industry, which expects to sell about 16 million cars this year. But it's an important niche for automakers, because it gives them a chance to put their products to the test when life - or, at least, the law - is on the line.

"That vehicle has to accommodate a bunch of requirements - it's an officer's first-aid station, comfort area for accident victims, command post for a crime scene. Next thing you know it's involved in a high-speed run, responding to a heart attack, chasing a criminal," said Lt. David Halliday, who leads the Michigan State Police's annual police vehicle tests that serve as a national standard for law enforcement.

Automakers don't break out data for sales to law enforcement agencies, but overall sales for the full-sized Charger were 97,833, up 1.5 percent for the first 10 months of 2007 compared with last year. The Crown Victoria's sales were 51,286, down 7.2 percent during the same period. The Impala's total sales through October were 270,504, up 12.6 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

Despite the new cars entering the police segment, Ford remains the dominant player, said John Felice, Ford's director of North American fleet operations.

Gene Taylor, police chief in the Detroit suburb of Belleville, said his small department has used Ford vehicles for several years, but bought a Charger a year ago and plans to buy another. He said his department, which has five cruisers, sought another option after having problems with several Crown Victorias and came across the relaunched Charger.

Taylor, who describes himself as "an old Dodge boy," initially thought Chrysler was using an old nameplate to promote a new product. But he tested all three automakers' offerings at a Chrysler event and came away impressed with the Charger's handling and performance.

"It's lived up to the hype so far," he said.

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