VW Offers Chattanooga Police Jetta SportWagen TDIs to Keep Residents / Speedsters Safe

Now we've officially seen it all; a body-kitted German station-wagon running on a [relatively] small displacement four-cylinder diesel engine as a Sheriff's Department patrol car. And all thanks to VW's decision to donate two custom-made Jetta SportWagen TDI vehicles to the law enforcement departments of the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

The donation was made as part of Volkswagen's ongoing efforts to reach out to the community of Chattanooga, where the German automaker is building a $1 billion plant that will produce among other cars, the New Midsize Sedan (NMS) starting from next year.

Volkswagen said its engineers and designers overhauled the white Jetta SportWagen to incorporate special features including custom-built enclosures and mounts that hold all the communications and emergency lighting gear in place.

The car gets a body kit with front and rear aprons, and side skirts as well as 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40 18" Goodyear Eagle GT All Season tires.

Under the hood, the Jetta SportWagen features VW's 2.0-liter TDI clean diesel four-cylinder engine with 236 ft.-lbs. of torque, that returns up to 42 miles per gallon on the highway.

Official Statements:

"Volkswagen is thrilled to be able to provide technologically advanced Jetta SportWagen vehicles to both the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County police departments to help keep the area safe while driving in a reliable, versatile and stylish vehicle," said Frank Fischer, Chairman and CEO of Volkwagen's Chattanooga

"This generous gift is much appreciated and will be a welcomed addition to our expanding Chattanooga Police Department," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. "We applaud Volkswagen for their continued investment in our community."

"Since Volkswagen announced their billion dollar investment in Hamilton County they have demonstrated numerous times their willingness to be a good corporate neighbor," said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey. "Today's gift of two law enforcement vehicles is further proof of Volkswagen's commitment to Hamilton County and we thank them for their generosity."

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Hyundai Becomes Preferred Supplier for UK Police

Bob Dylan once said, "The Times They Are A-Changin'." If you lived in Britain in the 1950s and '60s, you'd see custodian helmeted policemen driving around in Morris Minors and Ford Anglias. In the '70s you'd see mustachioed policemen driving around in Ford Consuls and Rover 3500s. Then the '80s rolled around and there were policemen and women cruising around in Rover SD1s and Land Rovers.

Then, starting from the late 1980s, something strange happened. Rover - one of the most British of carmakers - started rebadging Hondas. In the 1990's, Germans, who had lost the War, began buying all of Britain's beloved marquees. And the UK Police, who had always bought British before, began buying Mitsubishis. The world had gone mad.

Now, in 2010, Hyundai has been awarded 'preferred supplier' status by the National Association of Police Fleet Managers. That means the UK Police Forces can buy Hyundai's new vehicles.

It's a big sales and publicity boost for Hyundai. Each year, 2,000 cars are acquired by London's Metropolitan Police and a further 7,800 are acquired for work outside the city.

Managing director of Hyundai UK, Tony Whitehorn, said: "Anyone buying a car needs to make sure that they are getting the best possible package for their money. That's especially true when you are buying thousands of vehicles and spending taxpayers' money! The quality, reliability, resale value and performance of Hyundai vehicles has shone through and they've been given the green light to carry a blue light."

Hyundai said the most popular vehicles are expected to be the i20, i30, ix35, Santa Fe and iLoad van. Can you imagine an i20 police car? Doesn't the mere thought of it make your skin crawl?

For the time being, here's an ix35 / Tucson in police livery. It's an okay looker, though doesn't look half as smart as a Land Rover in the same outfit. Maybe I'm just bitter. Oh well, at least Officer Plod will have iPod integration and ESC as standard. That'll show them hoodlums whose boss.

By Tristan Hankins