Chrysler 300 SRT police car deal done
NSW police to continue using V8 rear-drive pursuit cars – but this time they’re American muscle-carsThe large and unmistakable grille of Chrysler 300 SRT will soon be a lot more common in the rear-view mirrors of Australian motorists – with sirens and lights.
As we reported in October, the NSW Police force was evaluating the big Chrysler sedan for pursuit duties and now we can confirm it's a done deal.
A fleet of Chrysler 300 SRTs will become pursuit vehicles when NSW Police takes delivery in 2018, giving it a phalanx of fast rear-drive, V8-powered chase cars.
Peak power of 350kW and torque of 637Nm emanates from the 300 SRT's 6.4-litre naturally-aspirated HEMI V8. That's enough twist to propel regular versions of the cars to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds. Top speed is around 280km/h.
However, the NSW highway pursuit cars will be anything but regular, with tweaks to the suspension, brakes and powertrain expected, along with advanced number plate sensing technology and police database computers to name a few of the mods.
The new Chrysler 300 SRT Core police cars will replace Ford Falcon XR8 and Holden Commodore SS police patrol vehicles which will be gradually retired now that local production has ceased.
In the past it was a requirement that police car fleets were Australian-made, but that regulation is now dead and buried, opening the door for the likes of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia to fill the void.
It's not clear how many vehicles have been earmarked under the contract but given that NSW Police has around 400 highway patrol vehicles – the largest police fleet in Australia – the deal could be up to 200 vehicles.
Other vehicles also in contention to replace Falcon and Commodore police pursuit vehicles in Australia include the Genesis G80, a Korean-made rear-drive V6 sedan that has been under evaluation by the West Australian police force.
The Kia Stinger GT is also understood to be in contention with every police force in Australia taking a keen interest, its 272kW twin-turbo V6 and rear-drive adding appeal for police fleet buyers.
The Victorian Police force has already signed a deal to purchase 80 BMW 530d sedans, the turbo-diesel six-cylinder luxury cars pumping out 195kW/620Nm -- far less pepper than their the Chrysler 300 SRT Core.
The BMWs are almost double the price of the US muscle-car, costing roughly $120,000 each.
Priced at around $65,000 in showrooms, the Chrysler 300 has found 247 Australian homes so far this year, down 43 per cent from 524 sales last year.
The decline has been steady over the years as large cars fall out of favour with private buyers, the big American car recording 954 sales in 2016 and 1324 in 2015.
A source close to the deal suggested the contract will run for 2018 and 2019 and possibly beyond that. The indications are that it isn't a short-term contract.
The current Chrysler 300 first entered production in 2011 and will be 10 years old by 2020, which by our reckoning means an all-new model will arrive around that time, possibly based on the same Giorgio platform as the new Alfa Romeo Giulia.
We understand the chief commissioner of NSW Police will make an official announcement about the new Chrysler cop cars in March 2018.
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