Kia puts a Stinger in cop’s tail

THE Western Australian Police Force has replaced their Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon pursuit car fleet with Kia’s Stinger V6, with 50 orders confirmed this week for the state.

 

WA Police decided to purchase the Stinger after an intensive six-month evaluation program that involved 16 models from various manufacturers. The cars in the comparative program included the Hyundai Genesis, Toyota Aurion and Ford Focus.

 

A WA Police spokesperson told GoAuto that the Kia would replace the Commodore and Falcon sedans – officially termed traffic control cars – and the 50 Stingers would be delivered over the next year.

 

The Stingers are fitted with an updated version of the WA Police number plate recognition computers that have been in use for about five years, as well as surround cameras and the necessary communications systems.

 

Kia Motors Australia (KMAu) confirmed WA has become the second state after Queensland to pick up the Stinger, and that they are base V6 versions with no modifications other than a “plug-and-play” wiring loom to accommodate the extra communications and lighting equipment.

 

KMAu general manager of media and corporate communications Kevin Hepworth said the cars were “straight out of the box”.

 

The cost of the fleet deal was not disclosed but Mr Hepworth said the cars would not carry the car-maker’s signature seven-year warranty, capped-price service and roadside assistance package.

 

WA police and road safety minister Michelle Roberts, who concurrently announced a plea for motorists on the roads ahead of the state’s Queen’s Birthday long weekend, said the Stinger would replace 48 patrol cars in a staged rollout from next year. The discrepancy in the number of cars is attributed to additional cars for general police duties.

 

“We are keen to make sure we have a strong presence of police on our roads,” she said.

 

“We continue to give the Western Australian Police Force the money they need to replace their fleet and to provide the best service they can for the community of Western Australia.

 

“I’m told these cars are really fit for purpose, they’re all five-star ANCAP rated, which is important for our officer safety.

 

“They’re agile and have very good handling, and they can go from zero to 100km/h in a matter of seconds.”

 

The police chose the Stinger for its ability to outperform its rivals in key areas, but the police spokesperson said the stand-out reasons were its immediate availability, high performance, high safety equipment, impressive handling and traction, and its 91RON standard fuel rating that he said made it “very cost effective over the fleet’s life”.

 

WA now joins Queensland in its choice of the Stinger. The police spokesman said he believed South Australia was close to choosing the Kia, as was NSW.

 

However, NSW and Victoria are on record as saying they will opt for two cars – the BMW 5 Series diesel sedan and Chrysler 300 – but neither state is believed to have taken delivery of any cars yet.

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