Mar 22nd, 2010 by Ross Edwards
BMW announced today that it has struck a deal to supply diesel engines for the new Carbon Motors police cruiser. The Carbon Motors police car was specifically designed for police use, rather than typical police cruisers, which are based on production cars, and will not be available to the public. The BMW diesel engine will give Carbon’s police car an advantage in fuel economy over competing gas powered cop cars.
BMW says that Carbon Motors ordered more than 240,000 of the diesel engines to be fitted to police cruisers. Carbon Motors designed its police car to use a diesel engine because diesel engines generally give better fuel economy and torque than gasoline. The downside is that diesel engines generally cost more and emit more greenhouse gasses, so they require extra work to be made legal for use on American roads. Carbon decided on the inline six-cylinder engine found in the BMW X5 and 335d, which has already passed all necessary tests and has been proven to be reliable.
The Carbon Motors police cruiser will almost certainly be better tailored to the needs of law enforcement officers than the competition from GM, Dodge and the new Ford Taurus Police Interceptor. The Carbon cop car was designed with the assistance of real law enforcers and includes features like a custom seat designed to fit the large belts typically worn by police.
The main problem that will face Carbon Motors will be cost. Since the Carbon Motors police cruiser isn’t based on a production car, and uses a premium engine, rather than the 5.7-liter Hemi found in many Chrysler cars and trucks for example, the price could be more than police agencies are willing to spend.
Even if the initial price is spot on, law enforcement agencies might not choose the Carbon because of repair costs. One of the main reasons the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor model is so popular is because repairs are inexpensive. Using a proven BMW drivetrain will help to convince potential buyers to pick the Carbon, but repair costs will still be a concern.
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