Northern Territory Police select Kia Stinger
BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 9th Apr 2019
NORTHERN Territory Police has confirmed that Kia Motors Australia (KMAu) will supply it with seven V6 Stinger large sedans that will replace its current fleet of Holden Commodore SS patrol vehicles.
As a result, Northern Territory Police joins Queensland Police Service and the Western Australia Police Force as the third law enforcement agency to select the Stinger as its replacement for the home-grown Commodore and Ford Falcon.
Northern Territory Police’s Road Policing Command will progressively roll out its V6 Stingers as the traditional Commodore SS’ currently on duty approach retirement, according to its commander, Matt Hollamby.
“Holdens and Fords have been standard road policing vehicles in the NT for the best part of 50 years, but now that they are not manufactured, it’s time for us to look at an alternative,” he said.
“We needed a car capable of operating at reasonably high speeds in temperatures of 45 degrees in the shade without missing a beat. The Stinger showed itself to be that car.”
The V6 Stinger is motivated by a 3.3-litre twin-turbo engine that produces 272kW of power at 6000rpm and 510Nm of torque from 1300 to 4500rpm.
An eight-speed torque-convertor automatic transmission exclusively sends drive to the rear wheels, enabling a sprint from standstill to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds.
KMAu chief operating officer Damien Meredith stressed that Northern Territory Police’s endorsement has made the Korean brand grow even stronger.
“It is extremely pleasing that once again a state government has had the vision to look past ingrained prejudices and give a stamp of approval to the best available option,” he said.
“The Stinger is not only an outstanding performance vehicle but is backed by Kia’s industry-leading ownership experience, whether that be for private, government or fleet buyers.”
As with all other Kia models, the Stinger comes with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty that is matched with roadside assistance and capped-price servicing for the whole term.
Pricing for the V6 Stinger starts at $49,990 plus on-road costs for the 330S, rising to $55,990 for the 330Si and $59,990 for the GT.
Mr Hollamby said locals may not recognise the new patrol vehicles at first due to the redesigned livery that they will debut.
“The aesthetic of our decals hasn’t changed much in the past 15 years and we thought now was a better time than any to update those, as well,” he said.
“Members in the Road Policing Command provided input into alternative options and selected the preferred design which was completed in-house. Territorians can expect to see the new police vehicles out on the road from today.”
Mr Hollamby added that the V6 Stingers will play a central role in the Road Policing Command’s upcoming Easter campaign, which will focus on speed, alcohol, driver distraction and seatbelt use, particularly on country roads.
“We have recently established the Road Policing and Regional Support Command, which includes all traffic operations units throughout the Northern Territory,” he said.
“Units in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs are now operating in a more coordinated and streamlined way with the aim of improving road safety.”
Sales of the Stinger have decreased this year, with the 453 examples sold to the end of March representing an 8.9 per cent slide over the 497 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.
Nonetheless, the Stinger is the second best-selling model in the shrinking sub-$70,000 large-car segment, trailing the Holden Commodore (1402 units) but ahead of the Skoda Superb (226).
