Ford touts its 2021 F – 150 Police Responder as “America ‘s only purpose – built pickup truck with a chase rating.
Ford
The next time you are stopped, it may be a policeman in a Ford truck instead of a traditional “police car”.
Ford Motor unveiled its new 2021 F-150 Police Responder on Tuesday, ahead of local and state government bidding cycles. Commercial vehicles, such as police vehicles, are the company’s focus under Ford CEO Jim Farley, who took over from Jim Hackett in October.
Demand for a police version of the Ford F-150 has grown steadily since its launch in 2017, according to a spokeswoman for Ford Motor. She declined to disclose specific sales of the chase-rated pickup or Ford’s police vehicle line.
The shift from police cars to utility vehicles, such as pickups and SUVs, represents a greater tendency for automakers to move away from passenger cars. Ford discontinued its latest police car, a Ford Taurus, several years ago. A police version of its Ford Explorer is now its best-selling model, according to the company.
2021 F-150 Police Officer Responding
Ford
The police pickup is based on the consumer version of the truck, but includes special options and adjustments to “meet the rigorous use of law enforcement” at speeds up to 190 km / h. The pickup also features a new “idle police engine,” which allows officers to remove the keys from the ignition and safely get out of the truck with the engine running at the touch of a button.
The new police pickup, like the consumer truck, offers remote or wireless connectivity, as well as data analysis and telematics to assist in vehicle uptime, operating costs and driving behavior. Customers can also choose to order a vehicle without the front console between the driver and the front passenger, which allows agencies to more easily install their own department-specific consoles.