The city of Chicago, Illinois will soon be riddled with all-new Fords but they will not fall into the hands of the public. In what is the largest commitment to date for the recently released line of police vehicles, the Windy City has placed an order for 500 sedan and utility Interceptors to be added to their fleet. Built inside Ford’s Torrence Avenue Chicago Assembly Plant, an increase in production was required to facilitate the large order and subsequently, 230 jobs were created. “We are pleased and proud Chicago has decided to purchase Ford’s Police Interceptor vehicles,” said Ken Czubay, vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service.
Based on the Taurus and Explorer civilian vehicles, the Interceptor Sedan and Utility went through rigorous testing before they were given the okay for police work. Both feature high-output 3.5 liter V6 engines that can not only out horsepower their V8 predecessors, but can also help Chicago officers save at the pump. Ford projects that the new models can return a fleet-wide fuel economy gain of 20 percent. Mileage is one thing, but cop cars must be able to chase down modified jalopies on a daily basis and when equipped with twin turbochargers, they can easily accomplish the task. In sedan form, the forced induction EcoBoost engine pumps out a stout 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Larger brakes, a heavy-duty cooling system and a high-capacity alternator have also been added to both the Sedan and Utility to ensure that they can stay composed during their endless work shifts.
“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,” said Czubay.
Source: Ford
