Aussie mods drive Victoria Police’s VW Passat fleet

VICTORIA Police will purchase 15 Volkswagen Passat wagons with unique Australian modifications for their role as highway patrol and ‘specialist division’ vehicles.

Based on the high-output Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon, which is powered by a 206kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the police vehicles undergo the locally designated ‘Proline’ treatment.

This includes the fitment of a more powerful alternator, rated at 180amp, to better cope with the additional on-board police equipment; a second battery co-developed with Volkswagen engineers in Wolfsburg, Germany, and an upgraded wiring loom supplied by Lumen Australia. Autocare and Auto Nexus helped install the Australian-specific equipment in the cars.

These latest vehicles come on top of a recent order for 265 Volkswagen passenger cars mostly made up of the Passat 132TSI Proline wagons, as well as a number of unmarked sedans for covert duties. Factoring in the 202 Passats initially ordered from late 2016, it takes the total number of Volkswagens in the Victorian Police force to 467.

Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) corporate communications general manager Paul Pottinger told GoAuto that his company recognised the opportunity to forge a new relationship with the police force and emergency services all around Australia back in the lead up to the cessation of local vehicle manufacturing and has worked hard by listening to what is required by these specialised departments. 

“They have a pretty rigorous testing procedure, and we were able to meet their requirements,” he said.

“We hope it’s part of an expanding portfolio which could come to include the Tiguan 162TSI Proline, designed for emergency services and not just for police, conceivably as a first-response vehicle… if they show that kind of interest.”

Mr Pottinger added that VGA is in talks with other police and emergency services departments around Australia to help shore up more orders for its Passat and Tiguan Allspace Proline models. The Passat has been a mainstay in this field since the first-generation series debuted in Germany in 1973.

“We’re engaging with other police forces and emergency services interstate – that’s what we’re working on next,” he revealed.

“VGA was proactive to the possibilities with the cessation of local manufacturing, and we were on the front foot with presenting our credentials. The Passat, after all, is commonly used as an emergency services vehicle in Europe, particularly Germany.”

The entire Proline project is a collaboration of internal departments at VGA, product management, technical, parts, logistics, finance and the selected dealers that will deliver the cars to the necessary departments.