Deliveries of New Chevrolet Caprice Delayed
02-08-2012, 04:55 PM
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Deliveries of New Chevrolet Caprice Delayed GM admits to delays in delivering new Caprice to police
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General Motors has confirmed that there is a delay in when police departments are receiving their Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles (PPVs).
This delay could affect the ordering process for many departments’ fleets, suspending any additional purchases to the next fiscal year until the PPV can be properly tested by each. We spoke to more than five departments in our local Tampa Bay area. Of those, only two had received PPVs for testing while another three were still waiting for delivery of their cars. The two that had received their PPVs, the Clearwater Police Department and Largo Police Department, only ordered a couple vehicles to test against competitors from Dodge and Ford before making the decision whether to purchase more. The time it is taking to acquire test vehicles is pushing back any changes to these departments’ fleets. The Largo Police Department, for instance, ordered more Ford Crown Victorias for 2012 to satisfy its need for new cruisers until the PPV could be properly tested.
The delay appears to stem from two key areas: shipping from Australia and at the dealerships.
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“We did order these vehicles as soon as we received pricing,” said Deputy Chief Jeff Undestad of the Largo Police Department. But, it took GM more than eight months to deliver its cars, and another five months at the dealer level to equip them for police duty. As Undestad explained, last minute changes made by GM kept affecting vendors’ fabrication processes, resulting in many vendors waiting until the last minute to design the necessary gear. This has caused interruptions at the dealerships responsible for equipping much of the police hardware.
Undestad isn’t the only that has noticed the delays. Rick Carnley, assistant director of solid waste and general services for the Clearwater Police Department, who helps oversee the fleet purchases, said it took GM 10 months to deliver its two test vehicles, and he has real concerns about GM’s ability to deliver any future purchases in a timely manner. He compared his wait negatively to Chrysler’s usual delivery time of 60–90 days.
Pamela Flores, customer care and aftersales for GM’s Fleet and Commercial Operations, confirmed the shipping holdups, but estimated it is postponing deliveries by only five months.
“There is additional shipping time because the vehicle is coming from Australia thru California where it has to go thru the import process,” Flores said. “The GM police vehicle content is added and then shipped to the dealer, generally on rail a long distance…We are making every effort to get our orders completed as quickly as possible.”
She also mentioned that GM now has a pool of inventory at the port, which should help reduce the time it takes departments to acquire their vehicles.
General Motors has confirmed that there is a delay in when police departments are receiving their Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles (PPVs).
This delay could affect the ordering process for many departments’ fleets, suspending any additional purchases to the next fiscal year until the PPV can be properly tested by each. We spoke to more than five departments in our local Tampa Bay area. Of those, only two had received PPVs for testing while another three were still waiting for delivery of their cars. The two that had received their PPVs, the Clearwater Police Department and Largo Police Department, only ordered a couple vehicles to test against competitors from Dodge and Ford before making the decision whether to purchase more. The time it is taking to acquire test vehicles is pushing back any changes to these departments’ fleets. The Largo Police Department, for instance, ordered more Ford Crown Victorias for 2012 to satisfy its need for new cruisers until the PPV could be properly tested.
The delay appears to stem from two key areas: shipping from Australia and at the dealerships.
“We did order these vehicles as soon as we received pricing,” said Deputy Chief Jeff Undestad of the Largo Police Department. But, it took GM more than eight months to deliver its cars, and another five months at the dealer level to equip them for police duty. As Undestad explained, last minute changes made by GM kept affecting vendors’ fabrication processes, resulting in many vendors waiting until the last minute to design the necessary gear. This has caused interruptions at the dealerships responsible for equipping much of the police hardware.
Undestad isn’t the only that has noticed the delays. Rick Carnley, assistant director of solid waste and general services for the Clearwater Police Department, who helps oversee the fleet purchases, said it took GM 10 months to deliver its two test vehicles, and he has real concerns about GM’s ability to deliver any future purchases in a timely manner. He compared his wait negatively to Chrysler’s usual delivery time of 60–90 days.
Pamela Flores, customer care and aftersales for GM’s Fleet and Commercial Operations, confirmed the shipping holdups, but estimated it is postponing deliveries by only five months.
“There is additional shipping time because the vehicle is coming from Australia thru California where it has to go thru the import process,” Flores said. “The GM police vehicle content is added and then shipped to the dealer, generally on rail a long distance…We are making every effort to get our orders completed as quickly as possible.”
She also mentioned that GM now has a pool of inventory at the port, which should help reduce the time it takes departments to acquire their vehicles.
03-01-2012, 06:00 PM
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I've seen the Caprice at a couple local dealers, Doesn't look to bad from the front. However, the back end looks like a mix between a Malibu and an Impala. Will be interesting to see if they will make a Caprice SS for the public.
03-02-2012, 02:25 AM
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03-02-2012, 03:52 PM
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03-02-2012, 04:13 PM
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They don't weigh anymore than a ZL1, I wouldn't call that "very very" heavy for a 4-door full-size car with all the police gear on it. That's in the same ballpark as the Crown Victoria's and Caprices.
03-06-2012, 12:09 AM
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