Queensland police car promoted in the United States

Kia North America has asked – and paid – for the car to be shipped to the United States, where they hope to convince local police departments to consider using the double turbo V6 sedan.

Queensland will have 50 Stingers on the road by Christmas and more are expected next year, and Western Australia has already committed to taking a similar number. The Northern Territory, South Australia and NSW all evaluate the car built by South Korea for operational tasks.

The Australian Police Stingers are equipped with a "plug and play" cabling system to handle additional equipment required for law enforcement. In the case of the Queensland Police Car, this includes a pair of cameras capable of recognizing license plates and faces, as well as a radar camera mounted inside the car.

Kia North America Vice President Michael Cole said the US police market was difficult to solve for a car built overseas.

"We try to probe and understand what people think about it. You have shown in Australia that you do not have to do a lot with the car … in its standard form, it offers everything the force needs. You never say, but it's a really difficult problem to solve here. "

US police vehicles – including the Holden Commodore, sold in the United States as Chevy Caprice – typically require custom seating to accommodate officer belts, as well as steel wheels and a bulkhead to prevent people sitting at the back of riding. in the front.

On the stand, four of Las Vegas' top drivers closely inspected the Stinger and unanimously said it was a "cool car", especially when told that the powered car The rear end would accelerate to 100 km / h in less than five seconds.

"The front seat is probably too narrow and maybe a bit low. I would probably need a new nose or a bumper because of the speed bumps, "said an officer, who refused to give his name.