Holden Statesman 2009 News

A Holden is being recruited to police the mean streets of Los Angeles in a deal that could eventually make the car the top choice with cops across the US. The multi-million dollar bid is for 20,000 cars and will be announced in the US today by GM-Holden chairman Alan Batey and Industry Minister Kim Carr. The law-enforcement lifeline renews the export potential of Holden's large car lineup to the US.The VE Commodore had been a major success as a Pontiac G8 until the American brand sank under the weight of General Motors' bankruptcy earlier this year.The latest deal comes after a successful pitch more than six months ago by a Holden team led by former president, Mark Reuss, who has since returned to the US to become the product development boss at General Motors.The sleek V6 and V8 Statesmans - badged as Chevrolet Caprices - are likely to replace the LAPD's ageing fleet of Ford Crown Victoria sedans. If successful, GM-Holden also stands a good chance of becoming a global supplier of GM cop cars for other countries. Batey, along with other Holden executives, are in Denver attending an international law enforcement conference.Carr said if successful, the bid would be a big money spinner. "They're talking about 20,000 cars immediately with the prospect of a much higher number in the future," he said. "I'm optimistic about the quality of the car and if accepted by the Los Angeles police it could enhance Holden's ability to sell more cars to other US police departments."Carr said the Holden police car was an opportunity for Australian initiative to be displayed ‘to show its true worth’. "I don't want to pre-empt the process though," he said. "It is quite rigorous. "However, we are very optimistic about the bid. "I'm quite sure they can persuade people how good the car is."Carr is already in the US to spruik the local car and component industry to Detroit's leading car executives. The LA police car idea was the brains of Melbourne-based company, National Safety Agency. Earlier this year it built a prototype based on the left-hand drive Pontiac G8 to show off to the LAPD. The car showcased new law enforcement technologies. It integrated many separate technologies used by police forces into a single platform to create a police station on wheels.The car has fingerprint recognition technology, video surveillance and CCTV access, traffic information and web access. It also boasted a police computer screen molded directly into the dashboard. The NSA specialises in innovative technology for emergency service vehicles. 

GM-Holden's executive director of sales and marketing, Alan Batey, says the V8's active fuel management system, on sale since January, has helped spur on sales. However, he concedes that lower fuel prices coming off the highs of last year may also have helped."There is really not one single reason for the lift in V8 sales," he says.Batey says Holden's AFM system has been well received. "It's got momentum," he says.Last month, GM-Holden sold 6570 Commodore sedans, utes, wagons, including the long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice and of those 1682 were V8s."We've had good sales of V8s in the last two or three months but in June we recorded 1682 V8 sales, the best V8 sales since November 2004," Batey says."Primarily they were automatics, and we think one of the main reasons for that is the introduction of AFM."Holden says it could have sold more V8 Commodores and Statesmans but stocks are running low."Our inventories are pretty tight," Batey says.Holden's order bank is up 50 per cent compared to the same period last year and Ford too is experiencing increased traffic for its Falcon models, particularly the G-Series cars.AFM is only available with automatic transmission cars but Batey credits the fuel saving technology as having a positive impact. Holden says AFM can conservatively save up to 1.0 litre/100km on its 6.0-litre V8.In past years, eight-cylinder Holdens have accounted for 20 per cent of the mix of Commodore and Statesman sales. A Holden V8 with AFM cuts the fuel supply to four cylinders when coasting to improve economy and lower emissions.When it is working, mostly at consistent highway speeds or coasting down hills, a "4-cyl mode" light illuminates in the car's dashboard display.GM-Holden's AFM system is similar to that used in other General Motors vehicles, particularly its luxury Cadillac brand, in North America. GM uses the system in 15 of its North American models with V6 and V8 engines.Other brands, like Honda and Chrysler, have similar cylinder deactivation systems in their Accord and 300C models.