DEARBORN, MI - Ford Motor Company announced it will produce an all-new, purpose-built Police Interceptor specially designed and engineered to replace the Ford Crown Victoria law enforcement vehicle lineup in 2011.

The new Ford Police Interceptor is being developed in conjunction with Ford's Police Advisory Board, which provided input during the past 14 months on key vehicle attributes, such as safety, performance, durability, driver convenience, and comfort. The new Police Interceptor will be offered without interruption when production of the Ford Crown Victoria ends in late 2011. 

Ford - which currently controls approximately 75 percent of the police pursuit vehicle business in the U.S. - has invested significantly in designing the purpose-built new police and municipal vehicles to meet the needs of these crucial customers.

The new Police Interceptor is designed to provide municipalities with reduced ownership costs through improved fuel efficiency, quality, and durability.

"Ford's commitment to the law enforcement community produced the Crown Victoria, the benchmark police vehicle," said Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a member of Ford's Police Advisory Board. "This commitment has continued, and Ford has been working closely with the Police Advisory Board on developing the new Police Interceptor. I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard."

Ford plans to reveal the new model and provide full vehicle specifications in the first quarter of 2010 - in time for law enforcement agencies, police equipment manufacturers, and upfitters to develop a transition plan from the Crown Victoria to the new product.  

The automaker said it sells approximately 45,000 police vehicles annually.