Carbon Motors Corp

I'm interested to see how it compares to the old Crown Vics and the new Chargers.
 
The new Chargers suck. Departments that got a few for evaluation are sending them back if they can afford the Crown Victoria. I have heard several department report chronic suspension and transmission problems with them.

They are not cop-proof yet. I think the Carbon has a much better shot than the Charger, the real giant to slay will be the Crown Victoria. The real strength of the Carbon is that all the systems are integrated rather than bolted on later.

EDIT: We had a pretty good discussion about the merits of the Carbon in this thread: http://forums.finalgear.com/automotive-news/new-police-car-one-step-closer-to-k-i-t-t-31738/ (a thread that is actually newer than this one)

The real advantage for the cops is this:

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/an/anonymous/2008/11/12/car_20interior1.jpghttps://pic.armedcats.net/a/an/anonymous/2008/11/12/Interior_Car.jpg

Versus this:

carbon-e7-police-car_8.jpg


carbon-e7-police-car_10.jpg
 
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You know, considering the Crown Victoria is a fleet special nowadays, it would be nice for Ford to redesign it so that its more cop friendly. I don't really like the looks of the Carbon cars, but if it's what the officers want, then I think its what they should get.
 
Haha I remember this thread from way back in the day.

I hope they make this thing. It looks positively mean. Like it could put the fear of god into a perp. Just how it should be.
 
Looking at it it seems like a smart play. Similar pricing, less downtime, lower operating cost.

It worked for Checker...


Of course I'd like a cheap, durable 300hp rwd sedan that gets 28-30mpgs too...
 
Love the hose-down-able back seat.
 
I think, with the UAW point, they're gonna lose a lot of the push that they used to have in keeping the purchases within the "big 3". This is gonna create a ton of jobs (for one state, at least), and it's going to be pretty much any modern police department's dream. Union mafia tactics are going to fall by the wayside if you give an officer a choice of a fleet sedan converted to a cop car or a purpose-built one.
 
Also love that the seatbacks are carved to give room for the "utility belt" so one wouldn't have to slouch so much.

I love how furniture is built around guns. :p
 
Who doesn't?
 
Why do american police always ride alone? why not two per car?

It depends on the department. Officers who ride alone usually have a partner unit on the same beat. Today on the way home from a late-night food run I saw a Richmond PD unit pull someone over and two officers got out. Could have been a Rookie getting trained or at night they might roll with two cops. It all depends on the department.

Don't forget that American cops usually wear body armor and have more weapons at their immediate disposal than their European counterparts. LA cops carry a pistol, shotgun and assault rifle in every car and many other departments do the same.
 
Don't forget that American cops usually wear body armor and have more weapons at their immediate disposal than their European counterparts. LA cops carry a pistol, shotgun and assault rifle in every car and many other departments do the same.

Yeah, but European police (especially the Italians) love their machine pistols. Glock 18, Beretta 93R....
 
Yeah, but European police (especially the Italians) love their machine pistols. Glock 18, Beretta 93R....

:blink: I did not know that. Noted and filed - don't make fun of the Italians for being the only ones to surrender to the French.
 
:blink: I did not know that. Noted and filed - don't make fun of the Italians for being the only ones to surrender to the French.

At least not within pistolshot, yes. You should also note that European police tactical doctrine does not include the shotgun; they go to the submachine gun instead - usually some form of H&K MP5. If there is a shotgun in there at all it's for less-than-lethal or as a line launcher, and its there only because the department cannot afford or does not want the dedicated launchers for either.
 
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Well, they're reporting 10,000 pre-orders.

PRESS RELEASE:

Carbon Motors Surpasses 10,000 Reservations

We are thrilled to announce that we have now exceeded 10,000 production slot reservations for Carbon's 'E7'. The Company would like to extend its deepest gratitude to the hundreds of law enforcement agencies that placed those reservations from all across the country!

In addition to achieving this major milestone so soon, we would also like to thank members of the economic development communities in each of the following states for putting forth such thoughtful proposals and offers for the Carbon Campus: Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The team has literally met crowds of new Carbon Motors supporters and has formed many great new friendships in all of these states. Having to finally say 'yes' to 1 state and 'no' to 4 others will certainly be difficult ? but senior representatives of all of these states have been extremely gracious nonetheless. Each state has assured us that they wish nothing but success for the Company, as it is in the best interests of the entire country.

William Santana Li, Carbon's Chairman and CEO, remarked that "no matter where we end up calling home, we'll always have these friends we can count on. That means a lot to us and will not be forgotten."

Rest assured that Carbon's executive team is meticulously evaluating each offer, and the Company is targeting a final decision to be announced sometime this summer.
 
http://img376.imageshack.**/img376/9493/carbonindiana.jpg​

Carbon Motors, soon-to-be makers of a dedicated police cruiser known as the E7, has finally chosen a new place to call home: Connersville, Indiana. Taking up residence in an abandoned plant from auto parts supplier Visteon, Carbon intends on investing $350 million to renovate the 1.8 million square-foot facility that it plans to use for production of the E7. The company could bring 1,500 new jobs to the area and plans to have the E7 into production by 2012.

Now that a production plant has been procured ? and assuming there aren't any major snags along the way ? it's expected that Carbon Motors will make an application to the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which is intended to help spur the development of new fuel efficient vehicles. Carbon Motors' E7 was developed from the ground-up for police duty and features a 3.0-liter diesel that the company claims could cut police fleet fuel usage by 40% along with a barrage of other high-tech goodies perfect for fighting crime.

[Source: Carbon Motors]

PRESS RELEASE:

Carbon Motors Selects Indiana

Site Selection Announcement Made at "A Rally for American Jobs"

CONNERSVILLE, IN - Today, Carbon Motors Corporation, a new homeland security company, announced at "A Rally for American Jobs" that the State of Indiana, Fayette County, and the City of Connersville would be its new home. Governor Mitch Daniels, Mayor Leonard Urban and thousands of Hoosiers were present for the unexpected announcement that had been in the works with the leadership and support of U.S. Senator Dick Lugar, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, and Congressman Mike Pence. The jobs rally, held at a shuttered automotive facility, demonstrated the commitment of state, county and city officials, and clearly reflected the determination, spirit, and commitment of its workforce.

Carbon Motors will invest over $350 million in developing and producing the Carbon E7, which is slated for start of production in 2012. According to the Enterprise Innovation Institute, the Carbon Campus, which will house the entirety of its operation, is expected to bring 10,000 new direct and indirect American jobs to the region to support the production of the world's first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle. It is estimated that the Company will have a $3 billion positive economic impact over ten years.

"We are creating new American jobs of national importance and it was only appropriate to announce that at a very unique 'Rally for American Jobs'. It is essential that the local, state, and federal authorities work in concert with the private sector to deliver on our country's moral obligation to provide our 840,000 law enforcement responders the appropriate equipment to secure our homeland against threats, both foreign and domestic," remarked William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Carbon Motors Corporation. "With the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, we are pleased and honored to announce that the great State of Indiana will become the police car capital of the world," continued Li.

"We are thrilled at the possibilities that Carbon Motors represents and, I'll be honest, especially at their selection of Connersville for the factory they hope to build. This company, in this former capital of American manufacturing, would make a tremendous symbol of economic rebirth and Hoosier leadership in it," said Governor Mitch Daniels.
KEY FACTS

Carbon Motors Corporation is a bold, new homeland security company on a critical mission to design, develop, manufacture, distribute, service, and recycle, the world's first purpose-built patrol vehicle. The Carbon E7 vehicle was recently at the U.S. Capitol for review by the U.S. Senate and subsequently at the U.S. House of Representatives.

This new homeland security technology platform will have a positive effect on every town, city, county, state, airport, college campus, border, and port of the United States of America ? a social benefit nationwide. The country's law enforcement fleet is the most visible government fleet across the nation and it must lead by example. By creating thousands of new American jobs, providing our law enforcement first responders the appropriate level of equipment, and doing so in an environmentally responsible manner, we can establish a tangible new symbol for "America is Back". It is in the national interest of the United States from all levels of the public and private sector that the Carbon E7 be expedited to full-scale production. The opportunities the Carbon E7 vehicle represents cut across several cabinet level positions:
U.S. Department of Energy

* Energy ? the nation's law enforcement fleet consumes an estimated 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline and emits an estimated 14 million tons of CO2 annually; the Carbon E7 will cut that by up to 40% using clean diesel technology. Clean diesel is the technically correct short to medium-term solution for law enforcement operations due to its inherent performance, safety, operational, fuel efficiency, and durability characteristics.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

* Homeland Security ? over 7 years after 9-11 our country's 840,000 law enforcement first responders continue to utilize inconsistently outfitted retail passenger vehicles meant for consumer use which do not provide the safety and performance capabilities appropriate to secure our homeland; over 3,000 law enforcement professionals across all 50 U.S. States at the local, state, and federal level helped design the Carbon E7 to specifically address their needs in the field.

U.S. Department of Justice

* Wasteful Government Spending ? unlike the U.S. Department of Defense that oversees our military operations, the country's over 19,000 law enforcement agencies have very limited economies of scale in purchasing the equipment they need and are forced to utilize an outdated and wildly inefficient process to operate and service these vehicles in the field. Moreover, they experience unnecessarily high operating costs due to unacceptable fuel economy, poor durability, excessive service requirements, and critical safety concerns. The Carbon E7 will reduce the total life cycle costs as well as the overall taxpayer burden required to support our law enforcement operations, savings millions of dollars, and provide dramatic improvements in safety and effectiveness at the same time.

U.S. Department of Labor

* American Jobs ? the over 450,000 law enforcement patrol vehicles that protect and secure our communities across America are not manufactured in the USA. The Carbon E7 will be produced in one of five U.S. States presently under consideration and is projected to create 10,000 new direct and indirect American jobs and a $3 billion positive economic impact on the selected region.

U.S. Department of Transportation

* Safety ? the 75,000 new vehicles purchased by law enforcement agencies annually begin as retail passenger cars never intended for law enforcement usage and are haphazardly upfitted with a plethora of equipment installed on an aftermarket basis. These modified vehicles are never subjected to crash tests required to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) ? a level of safety our families enjoy but is not provided to our women and men in uniform. The Carbon E7 will not only meet or exceed all FMVSS requirements with all law enforcement equipment efficiently integrated into the vehicle from the factory, but is additionally designed to meet a 75-mph rear impact crash.


http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/30/carbon-motors-picks-connersville-in-for-new-hq-e7-police-car-p/
 
I love the car, but $350 mil is a hell of a chunk of change for development.
 
Congrats to Connersville. That's an area of the state that could use the jobs.
 
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