What’s the one thing missing from the latest generation of the Dodge Charger? No, not a Hemi V8. The car is missing the police package version. It’s the yin to the Scat Pack’s yang, if you will. But it looks like Dodge is making it happen. A prototype has just shown up at one of the largest law enforcement vehicle shows to demonstrate what the company has planned.
If the extremely vocal Mopar fan crowd doesn’t want the 550-horse Sixpack Charger, then maybe the people who have to chase down rebellious Hellcat will.
Dodge Could Be The Only Real Police Car Option
Dodge Law brought the Charger pursuit, which it is calling the Charger PPV this time around, to the Police Fleet Expo in Daytona Beach. The car was on display in the Stellantis Law booth with surprisingly little fanfare, though the refit for patrol duties seemed quite thorough.
The automaker has made it clear that it wanted back in the patrol car game. A few months back, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear told CarBuzz that it was “actively talking” with multiple law enforcement agencies about launching the new Charger for black and white use. It even showed a concept version in 2024.
A Charger upfitted with all the goodies makes for a very imposing presence in your rearview. The light bar and graphics make it clear it’s time to move over, though there’s no push bar yet. There’s just something about a Charger with a push bumper that feels right.
It was also worked over inside, starting with a center console from fleet supplier Havis. The company’s console holds the laptop, radio, and other controls.
Behind the front seats, the car has a full divider to separate the officers from whoever is sitting in the back. Because the Charger is a hatch, there’s another partition between the rear seat and the Charger’s large cargo area. That big cargo spot has places for all of the gear that needs to be locked up in the back.
Is This Really The Charger Pursuit?
Dodge Law teases Charger Pursuit concept. Dodge Law/Instagram
But despite those extras, the car clearly isn’t done. It still has full carpet and cloth seats, and there’s not a cop in the country who will walk up to a cruiser with cloth and carpet in the back and be okay with going on shift. That’s a recipe for a messy disaster.
A Stellantis spokesperson told CarBuzz that the company used the event to show its current public safety and specialty vehicle lineup. Those included the Durango Pursuit and the wonderfully-named Ram 2500-based DJ Emergency Response Vehicle, as well as an “available at retail” Charger. Which explains the interior.
The company said it has an interest in a new Charger police car, so it wanted to show the car to agencies. The Stellantis fleet team works closely with major agencies like the Michigan State Police and California Highway Patrol to set pursuit-rated benchmarks.
If you want a police car in the US, and we mean an actual car, your choices amount to zero. Ford axed the Taurus-based Police Interceptor Sedan nearly seven years ago, Chevrolet cut the Caprice PPV two years before that, and when Dodge killed the last-generation Charger sedan in 2023, that was the end of police cars as we knew them. Many agencies have converted Ford Mustangs for police duty, but Ford representatives have repeatedly told CarBuzz that a factory-built Mustang pursuit car is not being considered.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Dodge Charger – Purple HazeDodge
It turns out that police forces still want sedans. They’re better for high-speed work than the now-common pickups and SUVs, with all due respect to the “pursuit-rated” HD pickups that Ram has just announced.
The new Charger, with either the 420-hp or 550-hp versions of the Hurricane I6, should be up to the task. Though for many fleets, a few Charger Daytona EVs might be just the solution for a model that can spend more time idling than driving.
Stellantis would not confirm reports that a model would go on sale next year. A spokesperson said it was too early to provide any other details.
Source: Team One Network / Facebook
