Ford Motors is back on top of the police car market after losing most of its market share when it discontinued manufacturing the Crown Victoria, which was the most used police car in the United States.
According to data collected by Polk/IHS Automotive, a provider of automotive information and marketing solutions to the automotive industry, the Ford Interceptor sedan and Ford Utility are the top selling police cars in the United States this year. The sales gave Ford a 61 percent share of the police car market.
The Daily News reported that both models have sold over 350,000 units so far this year. The sales mark the third consecutive year the company has experienced a sales growth in the police car department.
For Ford Motors, the increasing sales mean that they have finally found two replacement squad cars to make up for their financial losses after they stopped selling the Crown Victoria.
In a press release, Raj Sarkar, general marketing manager of Ford North American Fleet, Lease and Remarketing Operations, said, “It’s been amazing to watch the transition from the Crown Victoria, which was universally loved and trusted, to the new Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility lineup.”
When the Police Interceptor line was first launched, it wasn’t very well received. During the period, Ford Motors experienced a sales drop, and the company’s market share fell below 40 percent.
According to Sarkar, the Michigan State Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office helped to dispel the negative rumors by testing the cars when they were released in 2012. “Now, here we are three years later, and we’re still gaining,” he added.
