A new Porsche Panamera 4S has joined NSW Police as the German luxury sports car maker agreed to continue its partnership with the force’s community engagement program into 2014.
Launched in September 2012 with an entry-level $201,400 Panamera, the program has been deemed so successful that it will be extended for another 12 months, this time with an updated $299,300 Panamera 4S.
The all-wheel-drive Porsche sedan is powered by a twin-turbocharged 309kW/520Nm 3.0-litre V6 and is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds, giving it an 81kW/120Nm and 1.5-second advantage over the original rear-wheel-drive 3.6-litre V6-powered Panamera police car.
The new car also scores a new look; the bolder design the result of NSW Police’s ‘Design a Police Porsche’ Facebook competition that attracted more than 40,000 hits and 200 entries.
Despite having a top speed of 286km/h, the Porsche Panamera 4S police car won’t be used in high-speed chases.
The car is operated out of NSW Police’s Harbourside Local Area Command and shared with other commands and is used to support the force’s community engagement strategy.
Over the past 12 months, the police Panamera attended more than 50 community events and dozens of primary schools.
“The Porsche police car turns heads and generates fascination, which is exactly what it is designed to do so it can allow us to begin dialogue with the community and discuss issues surrounding community welfare,” NSW Police Superintendent Alan Sicard said.
“We have a strong presence on social media and to date we’ve had some 700,000 hits on our Facebook page directly related to the Porsche.”
All costs and maintenance of the Panamera are covered by Porsche Cars Australia.
