Ford has plans for new police car

As further evidence that Ford has no plans to reopen its St. Thomas, Ont., plant that currently makes the rear-wheel-drive Ford Crown Victoria, the U.S.-market Mercury Marquis and the Lincoln Town Car, the automaker has confirmed it will build an all-new police interceptor.

Andthe new Ford police car will be based on the underpinnings of the U.S.-made Taurus.

Ford said its new police interceptor will offer "better fuel economy, quality and durability" than the Crown Victoria it will replace when it goes out of production in 2011.

Unlike the Crown Vic, the Taurus can't offer a V8. But Ford says the 365 hp V6 engine from the high-performance Taurus SHO would offer "high-speed capability" as well as a feature not available in other police cars: all-wheel drive.

Ford said it supplies 75 per cent of the North American police segment, selling about 45,000 police vehicles each year. But rivals are looking for some of that cop car action.

Chrysler still offers its Dodge Charger police car. And last month, GM announced it will offer the Chevrolet Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle in 2011, a rear-wheel-drive sedan.

Next Chevrolet Impala

will stay front-wheel drive

Piecing together media reports and announcements from General Motors, it looks like the next Chevrolet Impala sedan will remain front-wheel-drive and offer GM's next-generation "mild hybrid" drivetrain.

Now that GM has confirmed that a rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Caprice is not in the cards for public sale, vice-chairman Bob Lutz said the next Impala will become larger than the current model and still be powered by its front wheels only.

Earlier this year, documents were leaked that listed GM's Oshawa plant as building a new mid-size hybrid sedan in 2011. It looks like the just-announced Buick Regal will be that car, powered by GM's new second-generation mild hybrid system that was announced in 2008.

The new mild hybrid system, which more than likely will be shared with the new Impala, uses a more powerful motor/generator and a lithium-ion battery.

However, according to Ward's Auto World, the Regal could also get GM's plug-in two-mode hybrid system, but that likely won't appear before late 2011 at the earliest.

Toyota plans to build

Prius sport wagon

After selling more than one million examples worldwide, the Toyota Prius has become the most successful hybrid ever and synonymous with the term "hybrid."

All this with only the one, hatchback model.

So after years of debate, it looks like the Japanese automaker is ready to expand the Prius brand with a new sport wagon.

According to Japan's Yomiuri newspaper, Toyota is looking at a new Prius sport wagon based on the Camry/Venza crossover platform.

Styling may come from the Hybrid X Concept that debuted at the 2007 Geneva auto show.

The report also states the Prius sport wagon would have a larger power system and be bigger and heavier than the current model.

A version of the larger hybrid drivetrain found in the Camry Hybrid and the new Lexus HS 250h would be a logical choice.

There's no word yet on whether a Prius sport wagon would use a rechargeable (or plug-in) battery system, a conventional hybrid system recharged by the regenerative braking system, or introduce lithium-ion battery technology.

Rolls-Royce to offer

mild hybrid Ghost

As a nod to the well-to-do, green-driving crowd, Rolls-Royce will reportedly offer a hybrid version of its upcoming Ghost luxury sedan.

As the smaller sibling to the massive Phantom, the Ghost shares the same rear-wheel-drive engineering as parent BMW's full-size 7-series luxury sedan. As such, the baby Rolls will also get the 7er's recently launched ActiveHybrid gas-electric powertrain.

No word yet on when the Ghost hybrid goes on sale.

But as per the BMW hybrid, the Ghost's 6.2-litre V12 gas engine will be assisted by an electric motor in what the industry calls a "mild hybrid" application (i.e. there's no electric-only propulsion system possible.)

And while most Ghost owners are not even remotely concerned about fuel prices, an automatic start-stop system will help overall fuel drop by around 15 per cent, compared to the gas-only model's estimated 13.6 L/100km (20.8 mpg) rating.

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