Carbon Motors to use BMW diesel in new E7 police car

[scooter]

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, BMW, Police/Emergency

Carbon Motors E7 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in 2007 when Carbon Motors announced it would build the first purpose-designed police vehicle, the spec sheet called for a twin-turbocharged inline-six cylinder diesel engine. As any existing automaker will tell you, certifying a diesel engine to meet current U.S. emissions regulations is no trivial matter, so Carbon Motors would likely have to find a supplier with an engine already certified. But the number of companies currently selling passenger car diesels in the U.S. can be counted on one hand with some fingers to spare.

At a press conference in Washington D.C. on Monday morning, BMW and Carbon Motors announced that the German automaker would supply its highly regarded 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder diesel for these new police vehicles. Carbon has placed an order for 240,000 units of the same diesel engine used in the BMW X5 35d and 335d. In current U.S. emissions legal form, the diesel produces 265 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque.

Powered by the BMW diesel, the Carbon E7 is expected to achieve up to a 40-percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to current police vehicles. While this diesel-powered E7 will certainly be fuel efficient, it will also be substantially more expensive to buy than current police cruisers. Performance, however, should not be a problem and 0-60 miles per hour in the mid-six-second range should be easily achievable with all that torque. Based on our experience with the 335d, combined mileage in the upper 20-mpg range and highway mileage in the 30s should be easily achievable, making this a potentially very thrift highway patrol vehicle.

Between this, the new EcoBoost-powered Ford Police Interceptor, the Zeta-based Chevrolet Caprice and current Dodge Charger police offering, the cop car market is going to get very interesting in the next few years.

Check out our comparison chart of the upcoming police vehicle offerings here. We'll add the Carbon Motors E7 once we know a few more of its specs.


Gallery: Carbon Motors E7



[Source: Carbon Motors]Continue reading Carbon Motors to use BMW diesel in new E7 police car

Carbon Motors to use BMW diesel in new E7 police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



Permalink | Email this | Comments

More...