http://www.hendonpub.com/publication...redarticle.asp

Even though the online article doesn't talk about sales, the printed version which I have in front of me does.
It states that Ford still has 80% of the market with the Crown Vic Police Interceptor sales. DCX sold right at 3,000 Charger and Magnum police pkgs. 70% of which were optioned with Hemis. The article also states that GM didn't release the sales #s for Impala 9C1s but the annual total Police market for all manufactures is about 70,000 vehicles. I would estimate Impala 9C1 sales were around 15,000 cars.

I really thought the Charger would eat into the Crown Vic sales, but I think cost of addmission kept most depts. out and the lack of room.

 

looks like fun:

 

I think Police Dept.'s take a wait and see approach. I'm just starting to see Dodge Charger cop cars in my area. City of Albany and Albany County Sheriffs are useing Chargers. My town uses only Implalas (12-15 of them?) and has yet to even buy a 2006 or newer. Most have the blue Chevy bow tie meaning they are a 2004 or older.

New York State Police is just starting to use Chargers, I'm not sure it they are replacing the Crown Vics or they are Hemi cars replacing the Camaros.

 

Several of the police stations local to me have been using the new Impalas. I've yet to see any Chargers in any of the fleets though.

 

I would have thought that the LX platform would have outsold the Crown Vics. Major sales disappointment.

 

I have seen one or two Chargers in my area, mostly in the wealthier Peoria areas. Around here it seems more of the city/county departments use the Impala, while the State Police use the Crown Vic. And of course you get the occasional Tahoe/Suburban or Explorer.

Chicago seems to have a few Chargers as well, my last few trips to there I saw a number of them running around. They seem to use the Impala a lot up there, too.

 

Cops tend to be a pretty traditional breed of people...a lot of the ones I know (my mom's side of the family has a ton of cops) have had their Crown Vics forever, they know them, they love them. The garages at the precincts have spare parts coming out of their ears, the guys are trained on them, etc...

The Dodge is an unknown entity to these guys, and it costs more. With time, I'm sure you'll see more (the MA State Police just got their first...the lucky officer stopped by with it so I could set his clock ), but it'll take awhile...

 

On target with police department's wait and see approach. Michagan State Police & the CHP are usually the 1st to experiment with just about anything. CHP ran a few Z28s in the late 70s, worked with Ford on the Mustang & was the 1st department to use them, was one of the 1st to use the new Dodge Rams in the early 90s, & used a few Volvos in the late 90s. Michagan actually used a few Thunderbird SCs and was one of the 1st big buyers of the new Chevrolet Caprice.

The other point hit on is parts. Like the fox Mustang that was around for a decade, the long running Crown Vic has a huge book of parts and accessories that's not only custom built, but also cheap. You can get just about any electrical component from strobe kits to electronic items that simply plug into the existing system, premade perp rear seat assemblies, and a host of other items that aren't yet available on the Charger, and have to be spliced in or custom made.

 

But we have still missed what I think is the biggest selling point when it comes to LEA purchases... $

Initial asset cost...
Daily operational costs...
Preventive maintenance costs...
Repair and replacement costs...
Book value and resale recovery costs...

All of these and more come into play BIG-TIME when a Sherriff's department is told by the county commissioners that their operating budget is being cut by 15% again for the upcoming year. Gas prices are forcing patrols to be minimized. Do you put $800/worth of 18" performance tires on a HemiCharger once a year, or $400/worth of 16" units on a Crown Vic when you can't even pay for gas to drive them?

There was a post in here a while back that had the initial costs for all the cars tested by Michigan HP, and IIRC the CV was the cheapest to get into followed closely by the Impy. The HemiCharger is EXPENSIVE to buy, and I think it's elevated performance doesn't justify the extra expense to LEAs.

Back when they were selling the Mustang SSP to LEAs, the car was basically a stripper, with extra cooling and suspension goodies, an extra-stiffened driver's seat, and a calibrated speedo. It was CHEAPER than the CV and offered a performance advantage. Many were ordered in small quantities and used as "interceptor" type vehicles by highway patrol units in areas where high-speed persuits were frequent (like 220-south near Myrtle Beach, I-95 through Fayetteville and Raleigh, etc ). They were never intended for inner-city patrol duty.
Same goes for the B4C Camaros they purchased, even though the Camaros were considerably more than the Mustangs.

As for repair costs, it's still tough to beat a body-on-frame unit for easy structural repairs. As guionM said too, there are lots of parts already on shelves and sitting in yards around the country for easy pickings.
Lastly, it is a lot easier to perform a successful PIT-maneuver in a car that weighs 4000lbs and has a longer wheelbase than in a car that weighs 3400lbs and has a shorter wheelbase (we won't metion a FWD run at it).

With regards to the itemized costs - as a former employee of the NC-DOT, I can assure you that they watch every penny! From the day the "asset" is purchased, through depriciation (based on mileage or age or both), until the day the asset is written-off or sold, it is all watched.
BTW, they know EXACTLY when they want to remove a vehicle from service and put it up for sale, and here in North Carolina, they can tell you in advance what they want for a vehicle. They don't auction their fleet vehicles anymore, they SELL them on a waiting list - 1st-come, 1st-served. The prices are pre-set - see the link for the going rate on an Ex-Highway Patrol unit from the NC-DOT... Linky

I can't see there being a mass-exodus from the CV to the Charger given their current pricing and packaging. If they offer something better with the V6 - they might sell OK. But the price for a Hemi is too much for the use it provides IMO. The Impy and CV are already nestled into their niches too well.