Dodge in Hot Pursuit of Police Car Market

While the steak is a different cut this time around, being rear-wheel driven, V8-powered and about as far removed from

"With a strong police heritage, cutting-edge technology, rear-wheel drive and available HEMI power, Dodge Charger provides the ultimate police car package." (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

cab-forward design as anything on the market, no one need question whether Dodge has come to the table with a significant slice of meat or not.

That meat is known on the street as HEMI, and if police departments take Chrysler Group's bait they might not only be buying into the most potent cruiser to ever hit the highway, but one of the best tools their local precinct HR department head could ever hope for, for signing up new recruits.

"With a strong police heritage, cutting-edge technology, rear-wheel drive and available HEMI power, Dodge Charger provides the ultimate police car package to meet modern-day law enforcement needs," said Mike Accavitti, Vice President, Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Canada. "Today's Dodge Charger will appeal to police precincts across the country in much the same way its ancestors did, while providing an increase in

The HEMI that powers Chrysler Group's top vehicles is identical to that under the hood of civilian 300Cs, Magnum R/Ts and Charger R/Ts. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

fuel efficiency and overall passenger safety."

The 300C is already legendary, pulling as many premium luxury sedan buyers into Chrysler showrooms as it has "import" tuners. The car has street cred, just like the new Magnum is getting and new Charger will.

The HEMI that powers Chrysler Group's top vehicles is identical to that under the hood of civilian 300Cs, Magnum R/Ts and Charger R/Ts, producing 340-horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 390 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, which should be ample to hunt down the bad guys as well as intimidate mom and the three kids in the minivan clocking 10 kilometres over the speed limit.