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Legendary 'muscle car' engine offered in Dodge police cruisers
DETROIT (AP) — DaimlerChrysler is trying to muscle its way into the police car market with a modified Dodge Magnum, powered by Hemi engines packing up to 340 horsepower.

First designed for fighter planes and once banned by NASCAR, the Hemi is a key component in the police version of the rear-wheel-drive Magnum that will debut in September 2005, the automaker announced Thursday.

"These police cars are going to be able to run down anything on the road," said Ray Fisher, vice president for fleet sales of the German-American automaker's Chrysler group.

The launch marks the company's effort to grab a share of the 60,000 annual police car market now dominated by Ford Motor's Crown Victoria.

Fisher is quick to stress other features of the Magnum police special — electronic stability system, traction controls, a rear lift-gate for easy cargo access and a roomy interior.

"In terms of performance, we're going to be the best ... in every category," Fisher said. "It's not just a power story."

But he acknowledged that the launch of the police version of the Dodge Magnum is meant to show the public that DaimlerChrysler is serious about putting muscle under their car hoods as well. (Photo gallery: Dodge Magnum)

The move comes as American car buyers seem to be renewing their love affair with heightened horsepower.

Automakers installed large V-8 engines in 29.1% of all passenger vehicles built in North America for the U.S. market last year, the highest rate since 1985, according to Ward's Automotive Reports.

With aggressive advertising, DaimlerChrysler has put the Hemi engine at the front of the beefy engine class.

"People are gobbling them up," said Mike Wall, an auto analyst with Farmington Hills-based CSM Worldwide.

The Hemi gets its name from the hemispherical shape of its combustion chamber, which Chrysler says improves power and fuel economy.

The engine began its life in 1939 as a V-16 power source for fighter aircraft. In 1951, Chrysler introduced an automotive version, a 180 horsepower V-8. Four years later, a Chrysler 300 with a 331 cubic-inch Hemi became the first production car to make 300 horsepower.

Hemis began dominating the stock-car circuit until NASCAR banned them in 1965 by setting minimum street sales levels. Chrysler re-qualified the next year.

Chrysler introduced the newest version of the Hemi in 2002 on heavy-duty trucks, then began offering it as an option on pickups and sport utility vehicles.

Two upcoming cars will have the Hemi, the Chrysler 300C sedan and Dodge Magnum sport wagon. The car version of the Hemi uses a system that allows the vehicle to reduce the number of cylinders in use during normal driving conditions, improving fuel economy by 10-20%.

The 2005-model Magnum SXT will use a V-6 engine. The 2006 model with the police package will come with a 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 as standard equipment or an optional 340-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8.

Prices have not been announced, but a tight economy will make it hard for DaimlerChrysler or any automaker to make big returns on fleet sales to police, Wall said.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...m-police_x.htm

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Stacy94PGT

Chrysler re-enters police cruiser market


By Eric Morath / The Detroit News



DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group, in pursuit of Ford Motor Co.’s massive share of police vehicle sales, plans to re-enter the market with the new Dodge Magnum wagon powered by the popular Hemi engine.

Chrysler plans to build a 2005 Dodge Magnum SXT specially outfitted for police use this fall and then offer a 2006 Magnum police package, with an optional Hemi engine, next year.

The new vehicles will be the first rear-drive, V-8-powered competition to the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor since the mid-1990s. The Crown Victoria holds 85 percent of the U.S. police vehicle market, which generates annual sales of 60,000 units.

“We are going to offer a package that will be the most powerful police vehicle available,” said Ray Fisher, Chrysler’s vice president of fleet sales.

“When a police officer is in a pursuit, they want to run down anyone on the road. The Hemi gives them the best chance to do that.”

With horsepower back in vogue, the Hemi has become a hot seller and Chrysler has plans to offer it across the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands.

“We can’t get the Hemi-powered Magnums in fast enough,” said Russ Maisano, general manager of Sterling Heights Dodge. “People love them. It’s a great engine.”

Chrysler believes the Magnum’s electronic stability control and storage space — big enough for a dog cage — also will be selling points for law enforcement agencies. Pricing will be released later.

The Plymouth Grand Fury and other Chrysler cars controlled 45 to 60 percent of the U.S. police vehicle market in the 1960s. Later, the Dodge Aries, Diplomat and Jeep Cherokee were marketed to law enforcement agencies. Most recently, Chrysler offered a police package on the Dodge Intrepid sedan, which is no longer in production.

With the economy improving, Fisher said the Magnum is entering the market just as municipalities are looking to buy vehicles. It also debuts as Crown Victoria police cruisers are the subject of numerous complaints and lawsuits stemming from rear-end collisions that sparked vehicle fires.

Ford Police Vehicle Specialist Michael Blackmer remains confident the Crown Victoria will remain the dominant police vehicle.

“The Hemi engine will be attractive, but no one knows what that will cost,” he said. “But (the Magnum) is slightly smaller and I don’t think police will like the open rear.”

Blackmer said safety improvements on the Crown Victoria have quelled concerns about fiery crashes that killed officers when the vehicle was struck from behind.

Ford also has an extra advantage — police departments won’t be eager to retrain technicians and order new parts when they already have large Crown Victoria fleets, Blackmer said.

Roughly 95 percent of vehicles used by the Michigan State Police are Crown Victorias. The Ford sedan beat the front-wheel drive Dodge Intrepid and Chevrolet Impala in the agency’s annual vehicle test last September, said Sgt. Keith Wilson of the department’s precision driving unit.

“It scored better in areas which we weigh highest,” he said, “vehicle performance and size.”

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