Volvo aims for global market with police-spec XC70

Volvo is staking its police-car fleet ambitions in Europe and beyond on a newly upgraded chassis underpinning the Volvo XC70, already a popular choice among police forces across Europe. The Swedish police force recently designated the 2014 Volvo XC70 D5 AWD as the best car in its fleet after carrying out exhaustive tests, with an overall score of nine out of 10.

That's right, the diesel XC70 D5 AWD was chosen as the best vehicle in the police-car fleet in Sweden, even though on this side of the pond, the car is still associated more with ownership of multiple golden retrievers and the school run.

For police use, Volvo has tweaked the basic XC70 chassis by adding new anti-roll bars, shock absorbers and springs. XC70 D5 AWD wagons with the newly sorted chassis were then extensively tested in a range of environments, including some high-speed jaunts on the German autobahn.

"The vehicle fleet of the Swedish police is subject to among the most stringent demands in the world, and the Volvo XC70 D5 AWD is the best police car we have ever offered. We see a clear opportunity to increase our sales on a number of markets, both in markets where we previously had a presence, as well as in entirely new markets," said Ulf Rydne, business manager commercial vehicles at Volvo Car Special Vehicles and Accessories.

Volvo
The popularity of the XC70 among police agencies in Europe has been steadily growing.

Volvo currently sells between 500 and 600 examples of the XC70 wagon in police spec every year, though the vehicle has been growing in popularity in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. A number of municipalities in the U.S. have also purchased Volvo vehicles, but those few cars tended to be Volvo XC90s, which are now in their final year of production before an all-new model is set to debut. Volvo has been working on a special police-spec chassis for the XC70 for almost a year, the Swedish automaker being one of just a few automakers that has embarked on creating a special chassis for a police version of a civilian vehicle.

“The weight of police cars is increasing, which requires a stable chassis, and we were approaching the limit. Police forces need a car that performs predictably and does not offer any surprises. That is why we develop our police cars in close cooperation with the Swedish police, who are involved throughout the product-development phase. That way, we get firsthand insight into the demands placed on a police car," added Rydne.

If there are a number of things that can be inferred from the goals of Swedish police cars as opposed to police cars in other countries (aside from the fact that their liveries are designed for increased safety and visibility, rather than decreased visibility through the use of matte, earthy colors), it's that the presence of all-wheel drive, interior comfort and versatility is valued over rapid acceleration. Volvo's growing popularity in the U.K. police force is perhaps an indicator of the XC70's appeal in Europe, though we don't expect to see these in the U.S. anytime soon.

By Jay Ramey