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Ford Unveils New Police Vehicles

DENVER (CBS4) - Most would expect a new set of police wheels to be faster than its predecessor, but it's also more fuel efficient.

Ford already dominates the squad car market with 70 percent of all sales, but the company has decided to stop building its top-selling Crown Victoria.

On Friday Ford showed off its next generation offerings to local law enforcement. There's a sedan and an SUV.

Steve Helm is a mechanic supervisor for Denver police. He develops the specs for new car purchases.

"So far, what I've seen, I like what they're doing," Helm said.

Ford upgraded the power plant by installing faster, more fuel-efficient six cylinder engines. The company says gas mileage will improve by 20 percent.

The all-new sedan is built on a modified Taurus platform. The utility will be the first pursuit-certified SUV on the market.

One thing that had to go was the Crown Vic's gas-guzzling V8 engine. Denver police average only 11 miles per gallon.

The old Crown Vics had room for improvement but they did do one thing well -- absorb a bad crash. So how's the new kid on the block?

"It is our safest platform in the industry. It had ongoing (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) 5-star ratings and top safety picks," said Jerry Koss, Ford Fleet Marketing Manger.

Koss says the new models become available in a year when the Crown Vic gets scrapped.

The pricing for the next generation Ford police vehicles has not been announced.

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