Vauxhall gets top billing as UK’s number one police vehicle supplier

Vauxhall Motors Special Vehicles has become the biggest supplier of low and intermediate Police vehicles in the UK after winning contracts for six Police regions in a tender process initiated by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).
 
The contract wins mean that 37 (or 71 per cent) of the UK’s 52 Police Authorities are now contracted to buy Vauxhall vehicles. The agreements – which will see the delivery of around 7,000 cars and vans over the next four years – include a broad range of Vauxhall models, including the Corsa, Astra, Insignia, Astravan, Combo, Vivaro and Movano.
 
Many factors contributed to Vauxhall’s success in winning the tenders, including excellent value for money, low emissions, the Turnkey Vehicle Solution initiative for rapid turnaround of replacement vehicles, service support and Vauxhall’s involvement with the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) work on Single Vehicle Architecture.
 
All Vauxhall Special Vehicles orders are manufactured in-house at the company's purpose-built facility in Millbrook, Bedfordshire.  The process is kept under tight control with delivery the only aspect of the service that is outsourced by Vauxhall.  The company has supplied over 7,000 vehicles to the Emergency Services (Police, Fire and Ambulance) since production was brought in-house in 2007
 
Vauxhall offers superb whole life costs across its model range, as well as highly competitive purchase prices, which are particularly important at a time when Police budgets are being cut. The Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty for new vehicles up to 100,000 miles is also attractive for Police fleets.
 
For Police fleets looking to reduce their carbon footprint, Vauxhall offers low emissions vehicles across its range under its industry leading ecoFLEX brand. A significant new addition to Vauxhall’s model line-up, arriving in 2012, is the Ampera, Europe’s first Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), which is electrically driven at all times and has a range of up to 360 miles, whilst still providing crisp acceleration with a 0-60mph time of 9 seconds.
 
Vauxhall’s eco-brand, ecoFLEX, is the best-selling offering in the sector of any UK manufacturer. The 239 ecoFLEX models available – from Corsa to Movano – equate to 38 per cent of Vauxhall’s entire model line-up. The average carbon dioxide emissions for ecoFLEX cars is 118g/km, the lowest of which is the Corsa Start/Stop with 94g/km. All Agila, Corsa, Meriva, Astra and Insignia engines now comply with the stringent Euro 5 emissions legislation and Vauxhall also has an ecoFLEX model in each of its CV model ranges.
 
The Turnkey Vehicle Solution initiative from Vauxhall Special Vehicles – initially offered on the Astra in 2008 as an industry first – provides customers with rapid turnaround replacement vehicles cost-effectively when a quick response is needed to get Emergency Services back on the road. New turnkey models that have just been launched include the new Combo with prison cell and the new Movano Protected Support Unit (PSU).
 
Support to Police fleets was also an important consideration for the tender process and is a fundamental in maintaining the relationship with each region and Police Authority throughout the contract period. To this end, Vauxhall has appointed two new dedicated Customer Care District Managers.
 
Vauxhall is also working in a consortium with ACPO’s Intelligent Transportations Systems Working Group on Single Vehicle Architecture (SVA). SVA provides a standardised specification to which all manufacturers and suppliers can adhere, allowing them to produce common wiring for equipment and connection points. This will allow plug-and-play of electronics, reducing the time needed for equipping and decommissioning vehicles.
 
James Taylor, Fleet Sales Director at Vauxhall said: “We are delighted to have won so many of the tenders and our success proves that Vauxhall’s infrastructure and superb range of vehicles are the best.”
 
Dick Ellam, Vauxhall Special Vehicles Manager, added: “A key factor in our success is our approach to the supply chain. The only element we outsource is the delivery of the vehicle to the customer – everything else in done in-house under our control. We are therefore able to make savings for the Police fleets in the time it takes to bring their vehicles into service.”