Police Stock Up On Ford's Discontinued Crown Vic

Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

DAVID GREENE, host:

And out last word in business today is farewell to the Crown Vic.

Ford's spacious Crown Victoria hasn't been available to consumers for years, but it's been a staple for law enforcement. Getting only 16 miles a gallon, though, the iconic police cruiser isn't exactly fuel-efficient, and Ford decided it was time to move on. The Detroit Free Press reports Ford is retiring the big sedan. The company will offer law enforcement a new cruiser based on the Taurus and Ford Explorer. Ford insists the new cars will be as powerful and as roomy as the Crown Vic, but some police departments don't want to take that risk, and so they are stocking up.

In the first seven months of the year, sales of the Crown Vic sped up 64 percent.

That's the business news on MORNING EDITION, on NPR News. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.