First appeared in USA Today
Get used to searching your rear-view mirror for the telltale
headlights of a 2013 Ford Taurus: The first Police Interceptor is being
delivered today as more departments order them.
The latest police agency to choose the Taurus over the
Chevrolet Caprice or Dodge Charger is the Chicago Police Department, which is
taking a mix of the Taurus version and Ford Explorer SUV version. It ordered
500 total; the mix is yet to be disclosed.
No surprise that Chicago would pick Ford: The plant that
makes the Taurus version of the Police Interceptor is in the Windy City.
Another 1,200 smaller police agencies have placed orders for cars as well, and
the first one went out the door today.
"We are pleased and proud Chicago has decided to
purchase Ford's Police Interceptor vehicles," said Ken Czubay, a Ford vice
president. "Ford has been the police pursuit vehicle market leader for 15
years, and we know these all-new vehicles can handle the rigors of police
work."
The Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicles started production
at the company's Chicago Assembly Plant last month. It added 230 jobs at the
Torrence Avenue plant.
Ford's new police car replaces the venerable Crown Victoria,
which stopped production last year. The Crown Victoria was loved as a big,
heavy, rear-wheel drive. Taurus has gas-saving turbocharging in the police
version, but is front-wheel drive, which some departments may resist compared
with the rear-drive Chevrolet Caprice, which is imported from Australia.
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