MG HS +EV joins Queensland police fleet

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has added 45 new MG HS +EV vehicles to its fleet for community liaison duties, all wearing in a unique decal set combining the QPS logo with First Nation artwork.

The new vehicles were revealed in unison by MG Motor Australia and the QPS via social media yesterday, but contrary to the Chinese brand’s social media post, the plug-in hybrid mid-size SUVs will not be partaking in pursuits or responding to emergencies.

Instead, the MG HS +EV, which was subject to a safety recall earlier this month and will be facelifted later this year, will be driven by police liaison officers who “establish and maintain a positive rapport between culturally specific communities and the QPS” by fostering “co-operation and understanding”.

Despite not being fully fledged patrol cars, the MG HS +EVs were still put through their paces to ensure they were up to standard for community service work.

The MG HS is the latest addition to an increasingly electrified QPS fleet that – in addition to Kia Stinger highway patrol cars – also includes hybrid versions of the Toyota Camry, RAV4 and Kluger, with plans to introduce electrified models from Mitsubishi and Kia.

Whereas the aforementioned Toyotas are all self-charging hybrids, the HS +EV is a plug-in hybrid with a significantly bigger battery (16.6kWh) that allows for an all-electric driving range of about 52km.

The battery powers a 90kW/230Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor which combines with a 119kW/250Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine for a total system output of 189kW/370Nm, resulting in a claimed 6.9-second 0-100km/h time. The top speed is 190km/h.

QPS commissioner Katarina Carroll said the new liaison vehicles were expected to be well received by the various communities they’ll be serving, with three examples headed to each of the Sunshine State’s 15 districts.

The cars were announced and debuted at the reveal of the new ‘extreme high-visibility’ patrol decals as part of Operation Victor Unison – a crime reduction operation targeting youth crime to enhance public safety via highly visible crime hotspot patrols and community engagement.

MG’s induction into one of the country’s state police fleets marks the first time a Chinese manufacturer has been drafted into active service by an Australian police force, and it will almost certainly not be the last as more brands from the world’s most populous nation enter the local market.

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