Who Needs the Big 3? Atlanta Company Plans New Police Car

[Midnight Mike]

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Straight out of a Hollywood movie, the "E7" may be the police car of the future.

"You think about Knight Rider and all these fictional characters," said William Santana Li, chairman and CEO of the Atlanta-based Carbon Motors Corporation. "This car is actually real."

A prototype model of the E7 is on a nine-city U.S. tour, as Carbon Motors executives market the car to law enforcement officials and municipal fleet managers.

Unlike conventional police cruisers, which are retrofitted consumer vehicles such as the Ford Crown Victoria, the E7 is the first car designed and built specifically for law enforcement.

"You would never send a pickup truck to go put out a fire," Li said. "Why would you send a family sedan to go take care of a homeland-security issue?"

Flashing emergency lights are embedded in the E7's frame, making the car aerodynamic and visible from all directions. The front seats are designed with extra space to accommodate a police officer's utility belt.

Li said the car's 300 bhp forced-induction 3.0-diesel engine will deliver 420 lb-ft of torque and propel the vehicle from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, with a governed top speed of 155 mph.





http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465329,00.html

[T-Bird76]

It even comes with cup holders, you know for the frequent Dunkin Donut runs. :borat:

[cancidas]

i love the suicide doors. will the company offer a backwards-refit?

[jran225]

"You would never send a pickup truck to go put out a fire," Li said. "Why would you send a family sedan to go take care of a homeland-security issue?"

It's not like they're going out to fight a war. Seems like a waste of money...the current police cruisers (especially the Chargers) seem to do just fine.

Greets,
-Omar S.

[kc2aqg]

The police package Chargers are very popular with the cops. A few years ago at Lehigh, we switched from Impala's (which were huge pieces of $hit) to Intrepid's and finally to Chargers, which everyone still likes and they are in the process of ordering a second batch from Chrysler. I agree, while this type of vehicle may have its applications, for the everyday police vehicle, the Charger will do the job just fine.

I had the opportunity to take a brand new police package Charger out on the highway when we were picking them up from the dealership, man that was a pretty sweet ride!

[PhilDernerJr]

This car is nice, but it's a little TOO nice.

The "built-in" features seem to be the biggest problem to me. Cop cars get beat up inside and out. The computers and stuff that are added to the inside after-production in an Impala or Charger are easier to replace than in a something like an E7 that has it built into the dash the way it is.

Same with the lights built into the frame underneath. Those are going to break fast...and how much will the repair be, because it's not just a simple screw-off, screw-on job...the whole lower bumper will NEED to be replaced. The light in the upper-windshield lose points with me because the height of lights on top of the car is more visible by other drivers.

As said by one of the law enforcement reps, if these guys can compete with cost, they're in. It's a fine concept, but the judgment on practicality will come down almost completely to cost. Keep in mind this car won't even be available for another few years, so the current Chargers will not be in use then probably.