Holden Caprices as US Cop Cruisers

Fairlane · 05-10-2009, 08:05 PM

http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2009...-caprice-16924

Deal sounds done and dusted. Here is some of the article

Quote:

Holden is on the brink of announcing its biggest-ever customer order. Long rumoured, the deal to sell Holden-built Chev badged cars to US police forces is essentially a done deal. In fact, it's so close to done that Holden chief Alan Batey was in Denver today to press the flesh with the boys in blue. In an effort to secure its share of the US police car market, the Aussie carmaker and its Chairman trekked to Denver and the world's biggest police exhibition IAPC (International Association of Police Chiefs Conference) to unveil a special edition of its Gulf States WM-based Caprice sedan -- complete with gun rack and prisoner barrier. And while Holden execs in Australia are playing their cards close to their chests (there will be a waterdown announcement tomorrow) we can exclusively report that the deal is done. Holden-built police cars will be on the beat Stateside by early 2011. As noted above, the new car will be sold in North America as a Chevrolet with the aim of taking a large slice of the 70,000 police sedan sales each year. Indeed, if the car proves popular with forces across the USA, Holden could end up selling more sedans to North America as police cars than it sells sedans in total in Australia.

And good on them more Aussie cars is only a good thing, and perhaps FoMoCo will see the error of their ways and give GRWD back to the boys at Broadmeadows.

Here is some more linkage
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/440...cle-confirmed/

BLDNUT01 · 05-10-2009, 08:30 PM

another story on go auto
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25764600253D2B
but doesnt look too bad

S/P BLUTE · 05-10-2009, 08:32 PM

I do hope they are mechanicaly minded they'll have there hands full with that piece of crap.

:

b2tf · 05-10-2009, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S/P BLUTE

I do hope they are mechanicaly minded they'll have there hands full with that piece of crap.

:

No worse than your ute.

Good on them, this means more jobs in Australia.

Rodp · 05-10-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S/P BLUTE

I do hope they are mechanicaly minded they'll have there hands full with that piece of crap.

:

In what way? Is there a high failure rate of Caprices?

snappy · 05-10-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodp

In what way? Is there a high failure rate of Caprices?

Lots of electrical gremlins . Some lengthy theads on ls1 about them

Noddy · 05-10-2009, 10:49 PM

I'm not suggesting their are major problems with this model its just a thread i remember reading on ls1.
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthre...t=wm+statesman

Smoke Pursuit · 05-10-2009, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noddy

I'm not suggesting their are major problems with this model its just a thread i remember reading on ls1.
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthre...t=wm+statesman

I dont think the export one will have that many issues, as i would say it will be based on the Omega + all the ohter electric in it..

The WM isnt as bad as that thread makes it out to be!

snappy · 05-10-2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

I dont think the export one will have that many issues, as i would say it will be based on the Omega + all the ohter electric in it..

The WM isnt as bad as that thread makes it out to be!

I dont think they will have many issues either , i bet they have them sorted out by now , and the cop car probly is wired up completly different.

S/P BLUTE · 06-10-2009, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodp

In what way? Is there a high failure rate of Caprices?

From my experience had it one year replaced a blown cat converter constant flat battery ocasionaly ran on 8 cylinders auto trany constantly hunting for the right gear more rattles than a two year old unexplained diff rattle i can go on and on ...............but the Bose stereo was great..........
from my experience the Ford product is far better ..............but thats just my opinion what would i know

:

OzJavelin · 06-10-2009, 08:47 AM

I'd have doubts this will happen. LAPD and other large police forces in the USA have continued with the Crown Vic not because it was such a great car but because of economies of scale. They have so many of them because they've been in production so long, that when they get a new one it's basically identical to the 5yo one they've decommissioned so they just pull out all the cop-specific gear (radio gear, cages, lightbars, etc) and put it in the new one. If they switch to Holdens (or Dodge Chargers, etc) then they have to re-engineer all that stuff to fit. Once it it done the first time it's OK, but it's just getting over that first round of conversions and tooling changes .. and no one wants to pay for that.

XR Martin · 06-10-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

I'd have doubts this will happen. LAPD and other large police forces in the USA have continued with the Crown Vic not because it was such a great car but because of economies of scale. They have so many of them because they've been in production so long, that when they get a new one it's basically identical to the 5yo one they've decommissioned so they just pull out all the cop-specific gear (radio gear, cages, lightbars, etc) and put it in the new one. If they switch to Holdens (or Dodge Chargers, etc) then they have to re-engineer all that stuff to fit. Once it it done the first time it's OK, but it's just getting over that first round of conversions and tooling changes .. and no one wants to pay for that.

They are going to have to switch to something because the Crown Vic is just about dead.

Would be pretty cool if they could get the cab market too, I imagine thats a large chunk of sales too.

XR6_190 · 05-10-2009, 09:33 PM

More good news for the Aussie Motoring industry, just thin, now every time we watch american cop shows, we can remember that the cop cars were built in OZ.

Franco Cozzo · 05-10-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR6_190

More good news for the Aussie Motoring industry, just thin, now every time we watch american cop shows, we can remember that the cop cars were built in OZ.

Except the only decent one is Worlds Wildest Police Chases on Fox 8 and they only seem to show footage up to 1999/2000.

XR Martin · 06-10-2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCPWSF

Except the only decent one is Worlds Wildest Police Chases on Fox 8 and they only seem to show footage up to 1999/2000.

'Cops' is fairly current.

snappy · 05-10-2009, 09:41 PM

Im a little bit dissapointed because its like the opposition just kicked the winning goal to the grand final .
But the main thing is its a win to the aussie auto industry i imagine it will provide lots of jobs 30,000 caprices they will have there hand full an good on them to .

I wonder if a few officers will take the chev badge off and place a holden badge there

DBourne · 06-10-2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snappy84

I wonder if a few officers will take the chev badge off and place a holden badge there

I think you are forgetting that they are going to america.. patriotism to the extreme (ie. no way

)

Green X · 05-10-2009, 09:49 PM

And where is Ford Aus with the Falcon XR6 Turbo, they should be flogging that gem to the US cops!!!

Interesting, How the USA are pushing V8 Cop cars and we are trying to get rid of V8's and even the 6T's Cop cars!!.

anyway Good on Holden, no matter what you think of there product at least they are game enough to push it internationally!!

Ducati888 · 06-10-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green X

And where is Ford Aus with the Falcon XR6 Turbo, they should be flogging that gem to the US cops!!!

Interesting, How the USA are pushing V8 Cop cars and we are trying to get rid of V8's and even the 6T's Cop cars!!.

anyway Good on Holden, no matter what you think of there product at least they are game enough to push it internationally!!

I would hazard a guess that a standard sedan (even a large one like a Falc) is too small for the US cops when they have all the protection barriers etc put in. Not enough rear space for the criminals. The current Ford Victorias in use over there are Fairlane sized.

Also, regarding the 'opposition kicking a winning goal' Ford Oz does not have a competitor car to the Stateman. The Fairlane was discontinued long ago because it was so butt ugly and conservative in design compared to the Holden that Ford couldn't sell them.

Mr Hardware · 06-10-2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducati888

I would hazard a guess that a standard sedan (even a large one like a Falc) is too small for the US cops when they have all the protection barriers etc put in. Not enough rear space for the criminals. The current Ford Victorias in use over there are Fairlane sized.

Also, regarding the 'opposition kicking a winning goal' Ford Oz does not have a competitor car to the Stateman. The Fairlane was discontinued long ago because it was so butt ugly and conservative in design compared to the Holden that Ford couldn't sell them.

100% Correct on all accounts.
The Holden Caprice is about the same dimensions as the best US cop car of all time... the Chevrolet Caprice. The Chevy Caprice was so good that even after they stopped selling them, some small companies used to buy late model ones, recondition them and sell em to the cops cos they wanted them so badly!

Bossxr8 · 06-10-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducati888

I would hazard a guess that a standard sedan (even a large one like a Falc) is too small for the US cops when they have all the protection barriers etc put in. Not enough rear space for the criminals. The current Ford Victorias in use over there are Fairlane sized.

Also, regarding the 'opposition kicking a winning goal' Ford Oz does not have a competitor car to the Stateman. The Fairlane was discontinued long ago because it was so butt ugly and conservative in design compared to the Holden that Ford couldn't sell them.

Holden are getting into the same boat as Ford with the Statesman and Caprice. Sales here have dropped to a couple of hundred of them a month, nearly as small as amount as what Ford managed with the BF Fairlane before they axed it.

If it wasn't for exports of them to the middle east then they would be unviable. I'd say come the next all new model Commode then there's a fair chance there will not be a LWB version.

Ducati888 · 06-10-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Holden are getting into the same boat as Ford with the Statesman and Caprice. Sales here have dropped to a couple of hundred of them a month, nearly as small as amount as what Ford managed with the BF Fairlane before they axed it.

If it wasn't for exports of them to the middle east then they would be unviable. I'd say come the next all new model Commode then there's a fair chance there will not be a LWB version.

As long as there's a wagon variant available there will be a LWB sedan available.

XplosiveR6 · 06-10-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducati888

As long as there's a wagon variant available there will be a LWB sedan available.

Actually Isnt the Holden sportswagon based on the SWB sedan?

Smoke Pursuit · 05-10-2009, 10:46 PM

Will this thing be a 6 litre? or V6?

Shame they couldnt even put stocko alloys on.. Steel rims went out int he 70's.. And why pick the caprice over the commodore??

Either way this is great for Holden and aussie jobs, but could also be a nail in the coffin for Ford with the extra development cash Holden will now have with 30,000 units a year!

snappy · 05-10-2009, 10:50 PM

Caprice was picked over the commodore because the size difference , they thought the commodore was to small .

CHOOK N CAROL · 05-10-2009, 10:56 PM

Makes sense, '' The cars a PIG''.

Windsor220 · 05-10-2009, 11:01 PM

Great. Now we have to listen to the tripe about how Ford Aus is going down the toilet because they dont have an export program. Its been a years break from the media now its going to be straight back into the Ford bashing.

Smoke Pursuit · 05-10-2009, 10:59 PM

Well we have a 2006 VE Calais V8 and while we have had a few small niggles its no worse then any of the Falcons we have had.. Overall its all been pretty good minus a few small issues!

CHOOK N CAROL · 05-10-2009, 11:12 PM

is this FORD forums or im a half sucked holden pasifier forum? GO FORD or GO HOME!!

b2tf · 06-10-2009, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHOOK N CAROL

is this FORD forums or im a half sucked holden pasifier forum? GO FORD or GO HOME!!

Go back to the 70's and take your blinkers off.