NSW Police take delivery of (another) $300K supercar

NSW Police has pulled out the big guns – again.

Not for the first time this year, the NSW force has taken delivery of a high-speed, high-performance supercar that will join its ranks as … a promotional vehicle.

Yesterday, Rose Bay police were thrown the keys to a $300,000 BMW i8. The plug-in hybrid offers the unique credentials of a brag-worthy 4.4-second zero to 100km/h time while also being able to consume a claimed 2.1L/100km.

But in the hands of the force, the 266kW/570Nm supercar replete with scissor doors is unlikely to exploit either in its function as a “community engagement tool”.

“This BMW is the latest in a number of different vehicles that we have utilised at Rose Bay Local Area Command to raise awareness and engage with the community,” said Rose Bay Police Commander Superintendent Bradley Hodder.

Other promotional vehicles to grace the NSW fleet recently include a McLaren 650S, Bentley Continental GT Speed, Porsche Panamera, Audi S7 and Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. Each has been provided to the police for the same community-minded cause, and come at no cost to the tax payer.

Victoria Police recently joined in on the fun, too, taking keys to the high-powered Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 Coupe, which will be used for actual police work.

But reading between the lines, there is more to this exercise than temporary car recruitment.

With most Australian forces contemplating their next fleet move amid the demise of Australian manufacturing – and the subsequent discontinuation of police staples like the locally-built Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore -- car-makers of all backgrounds are acutely aware of lucrative new opportunities.

motoring.com.au understands Holden has already shown off details of its upcoming imported Commodore to police, joining with a host of other budding manufacturers to preview law-enforcement metal including Chrysler, Subaru, Ford, Volvo and Infiniti.