Ford'd Crown Victoria has been the preferred police car for more than three decades, but production will stop for good on Wednesday. 08/29/2011
Ford is ceasing production of the Crown Victoria, which is mainly a cause for concern for police departments across the country. The Crown Vic has not been sold new to the public since 2008, but law enforcement agencies all over the U.S. have been relying on the vehicles for more than three decades, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. While cops do drive other cars, such as the Chevrolet Caprice and the Dodge Charger, the Crown Victoria still accounts for 70 percent of patrol car sales.
"I think for cops on the street, the number one question is what are you going to replace it with?" Dan Starry, the chief deputy of Washington County's Sheriff's Department, told the Star Tribune. "Will the new cars be as dependable? Will they handle as well? Will they be front-wheel drive versus real-wheel drive? Will the equipment transfer?"
The Crown Vic has a high-powered 200-amp alternator that can handle all of the police equipment that gets loaded in - such as lights and sirens, video-recording equipments, radar systems and computers. The starting price was roughly between $22,000 and $25,000, but after all of the equipment is installed and the law enforcement graphics are applied, one car runs about $40,000, the news source reports.
The Detroit Free Press reports that many police departments are stockpiling the cars, and sales through July are up 64 percent. It may be difficult for some to give up the iconic cop car, but Ford deemed the end of production necessary due to the new fuel economy standards that will require each automaker's average fuel economy to be up to 54 miles per gallon by 2025. Since the Crown Vic only gets 16 mpg in the city, the automaker decided it had to go.