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Chrysler Group Provides Test Vehicles To Auburn Hills Police Department

March 10, 2005,  Auburn Hills, Mich. -

The HEMI® Returns To Law Enforcement

Watch out bad guys; there is a new law enforcement vehicle in town! 

The streets and communities of Auburn Hills, Mich., will now be patrolled by the Auburn Hills Police Department (AHPD) in four new Dodge Magnum police vehicles.  The vehicles are being donated by DaimlerChrysler to the AHPD as part of an on-going testing program that provides valuable feedback to the company on how the specially-equipped Dodge Magnum vehicle performs under day-to-day police work conditions. The test also will provide valuable real-world information to the AHPD by demonstrating the best vehicle package that works for a law enforcement vehicle. 

DaimlerChrysler is donating four specially-equipped 2006 Dodge Magnums from the engineering test fleet for the purposes of testing by police departments.  The vehicles have been thoroughly upgraded with heavy duty suspension and braking systems, upgraded electronics that are specially adjusted to accommodate law enforcement equipment and modified interiors.  Exterior features and markings will be added to identify the vehicles as Auburn Hills Police Department vehicles.

“The testing program with the Auburn Hills Police Department is a valuable informational tool for us,” said Michael C. Quinn, Chrysler Group Specialist – Passenger Car Police Programs.  “We are provided with real-world, useful feedback on how the vehicle performs in day-to-day police activities.”

The vehicles also include all of the great things that make a Dodge Magnum what it is.  Two of the vehicles will have the 3.5-liter SOHC High-Output V-6 Engine which delivers 250 hp, while the remaining two units will have the ultimate performance engine, the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, producing 340 hp (to catch the bad guys) and 390 lb.-ft of torque. 

All of the Dodge Magnum police vehicles will be equipped with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) which aids the driver in maintaining vehicle directional stability while minimizing oversteer and understeer to maintain vehicle control and behavior while driving.

The Police Car Testing program began in 1998 when DaimlerChrysler provided Dodge Intrepids from the engineering test fleet to local police departments to elicit feedback on how the vehicles, when equipped as working police vehicles, perform in real-world situations. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to perform this type of vehicle testing for DaimlerChrysler,” said Jim Mynsberg, Deputy Chief of the Auburn Hills Police Department.  “It gives us a chance to influence how these police vehicles will be set up.”

Police Car Heritage:
The former Chrysler Corporation dominated the police car business throughout the 1960s, ‘70s and early ‘80s, with market U.S. shares ranging from 45-60 percent.  Police vehicles manufactured by the former Chrysler Corporation included the Dodge Monaco, Dodge Royal Monaco, Dodge Coronet, Dodge Diplomat, Dodge Dart, Dodge St.Regis, Plymouth Fury, Plymouth Gran Fury, Plymouth Volare, and Chrysler Newport. 

In more recent history, Dodge returned to the police car market after a 12-year hiatus with the 2002 Dodge Intrepid, earning a four percent share of the 85,000 unit U.S. market.  The front-wheel-drive Dodge Intrepid was phased out of production in 2003.

In the fall of 2004, Dodge previewed the 2005 Dodge Magnum as a police unit offering enhanced rear-wheel-drive performance and handling with a spacious, flexible interior for police special service uses.   

Dodge Brand:
With a U.S. market share of approximately seven percent, Dodge is Chrysler Group’s best-selling brand and the fifth-largest nameplate in the U.S. automotive market.  In 2004, Dodge sold more than 1.4 million vehicles.  Dodge continues to lead the minivan market segment with a 20 percent U.S. market share and maintains an 18 percent share of the highly competitive truck market.  In 2006, Dodge will enter key European volume segments.


 

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