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Rob Clancy29 May 2014
NEWS

Where to for Aussie cops?

Australian police forces begin the search to replace their homegrown large-car fleets

Among the questions raised by the collapse of Australia’s local car manufacturing by 2017 is the future of government and allied fleets – and in particular, what vehicles Australia's police forces will use once Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons are no more?

In the main, Australian police and emergency services fleets have purchased large, relatively basic, rear-wheel drive vehicles with six- or eight-cylinder engines. That type of car is now looking increasingly like an endangered species all over the world -- especially if you insist on having your steering wheel on the right-hand side.

Around one third (1400-plus) of the NSW Police's 4000 vehicles are locally-built large sedans or their derivatives. Of Victoria Police’s near 2700 vehicles, almost 2000 are Falcons or Commodores. Around the country other forces' fleet proportions vary, but 'Falcodores' still dominate.

With Falcon and Commodore on the chopping block, the remaining large rear-drive vehicles available worldwide are largely luxury-branded. Which begs the question: will our police forces change the style of cars they drive, or stick to the same formula and pay a lot more for the privilege?

As is the case with most government-funded vehicle pools, both the NSW and Victoria Police fleets are predominantly leased -- each with an annual budget of around $60 million.

Their choice of vehicles is determined by two main factors. Firstly, state government purchasing rules require the selection of Australian-made passenger vehicles wherever possible. Second is the unique set of criteria that determine the suitability of a given vehicle for police use.

Manager of the Victoria Police Transport Branch, Frank Melilli, explains the process.

"The criteria we use when purchasing or leasing our vehicles is that they must be fit for purpose for the operational needs of the organisation.

"In the case of passenger vehicles, we provide the Australian manufacturers with a specification that articulates our requirements for the various vehicles and desired accessories.

"Some of the items in the specification include: wiring harnesses and fuse boxes to enable the installation of police equipment [lights, sirens etc]; dual battery systems; certified calibrated speedometer and brakes that meet the Victoria Police brake test," Melilli explained.

According to Melilli, all general duties and highway patrol vehicles are subjected to a series of independent vehicle performance, handling, stability and brake tests to determine a safety classification for operational use.

Vehicles are given a rating of Gold, Silver, Bronze or White, with each level having a maximum safety speed at which the vehicle can be driven in the performance of police duties. Sedans and wagons must achieve a minimum of a Silver rating to be suitable for operational deployment with Victoria Police.

So with nothing Australian to buy from late 2017, what options will there be for our boys and girls in blue? Big decisions will need to be made very soon about which cars are in contention.

Ford and Holden have both confirmed they plan to continue selling a full range of passenger cars once local manufacture ends, but a survey of some of the other key players shows the locals will no longer have things all to themselves.

As far as Ford is concerned, Brand Communications Manager, Neil McDonald says: “Our plan is to continue to build Falcon right through until October 2016 and we’ve confirmed the XR8 is returning too, which may have application for various government agencies who require a vehicle of this nature.

"However, it’s too early to discuss what may, or may not, be available for these specific purposes after manufacturing ceases.”

Holden has a similar story to tell.

“Holden has a long history with many police and emergency services agencies. We understand their requirements and will have a strong future product line-up to meet their needs,” says Senior Manager Corporate Communications, Sean Poppitt.

“Holden is very keen to continue supporting and supplying Australia’s emergency services fleets and we are currently evaluating all options for those fleets post-2017,” Poppitt told motoring.com.au.

Above comments notwithstanding, make no mistake, the market will open up to some new contenders.

Ken Thompson from the Australasian Fleet Management Association reminds us that a vehicle fleet is usually the third biggest single cost for any organisation, behind buildings and salaries, so it’s got to be managed properly.

How then would he advise our emergency services?

"Define your transport needs by establishing which vehicles fit your criteria, then work out which of those give the lowest whole-of-life cost," is his advice.

So what are the most likely sources of our future patrol cars?

Apart from the crop of US-domestic models (which generally are not made in RHD – Chrysler 300C aside), Australian forces may have to look to Europe or Asia for cars with the size, power and rear-wheel drive architecture they’ve come to expect. The search becomes even harder if they want a 'divvy van' version of the same vehicle.

As far as Japanese cars go, there are a few RWD options that might fit the bill, but apart from high-end Lexus LS and Infiniti models, none have been imported to Australia for more than 20 years.

For reasons of scale and the cost of compliance, the likes of Nissan’s Cefiro and Skyline sedans or Toyota’s Chaser and Aristo were never brought here by the Australian importer, though they have since developed a keen following on the grey import market.

Later versions of the Aristo were sold here as the Lexus GS series, at a significant price premium over the equivalent local product.

Recent Korean ventures into RWD, like the Hyundai Genesis and Equus, and Kia's K900 sibling. could be key players.

According to Hyundai it’s too early to say much. The company’s Australian PR chief, Bill Thomas told us: “It's no secret that we're bringing Genesis sedan to Australia later this year, which is rear-wheel drive and powered by a 232kW 3.8-litre V6, but we're not in a position to speculate on whether police forces will be interested in the car.”

On the European front there are RWD sedan options mainly from Germany, where all the major brands build police-specific models. Will we soon see Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series cop cars?

Benz says it’s not currently investigating this prospect, but BMW is more upbeat, saying it: "would certainly be interested in the possibility of providing vehicles for evaluation by Australian police forces.

"Our cars and motorcycles are currently used by a number of law enforcement agencies overseas, where they have shown themselves to be well suited to a wide range of tasks,” stated BMW’s General Manager Corporate Communications, Lenore Fletcher.

And higher purchase prices may not stand in the way.

“Our research has shown that due to lower fuel consumption and our flexible, usage-based service schedules, BMW vehicles have the potential to deliver lower whole-of-life cost than traditional large sedans,” she said.

In the meantime Melilli says: "Victoria Police will continue to purchase or lease passenger vehicles from Australian manufacturers until manufacturing ceases in this country.

"Beyond this point we will source non-Australian made vehicles that meet our minimum requirements following an open approach to the vehicle market, and consistent with the Victorian government vehicle policy."

So the short answer to this big question is no-one knows… yet. What we do know is that there is sure to be some keen competition for a piece of Australia’s police fleet market, and it won’t just involve the brands to which we’ve grown accustomed.

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Written byRob Clancy
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