By Christopher Tan
March 22, 2005
The Straits Times
Subarus with sirens on the way
COMING soon to a highway near you: the fast and powerful Subaru
Impreza WRX, decked out in orange-on-white livery and adorned with
flashing blue lights.
The cars will be the latest additions to the Traffic Police's
fleet.
After a public tender in December, which also drew bids from BMW,
Volvo and Skoda, the decision to go for the WRX was made
yesterday.
The model, known for its powerful 225-horsepower engine, quick
acceleration and stable all-wheel-drive technology, will be the
first Japanese car to join the fleet, which currently comprises
BMWs and Volvos.
Subaru distributor Motor Image will supply 12 to the Traffic
Police, with the first due late next month.
According to tender award details on the government eBusiness
website, they cost $618,000 - nearly half the cost of a similar
order from BMW or Volvo.
Motor Image chief executive Glenn Tan told The Straits Times:
'Being quick, the cars will also improve their response time, so
they can avoid long car chases.'
The WRX was the fastest and least expensive of the contenders in
the tender, which included Volvo's S60, Skoda's Octavia RS and
BMW's newly launched 320i - all sporty models.
But Mr Tan, 27, said competitive pricing - the Subarus were 20 per
cent cheaper than the Skodas, the next lowest bid - would not have
been enough to clinch the deal with the police.
'They have conducted extensive tests on the cars. The WRX is also
used by the police in other countries, such as Italy and
Australia.'
Mr Tan said that the police purchase would go some way towards his
efforts 'to reposition the brand', a reference to the view held by
some that the WRX is for 'boy-racers'.
Asked why they picked the car, and if the model's current image was
a concern, the police said: 'We do not favour a particular model or
make, and we choose our vehicles based on our needs and
prices.'
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suddenly, open pod becomes insignificant... ignition cables seems a
little expensive... Suddenly anything below 225bhp is meaningless
for those who has a NEED FOR
SPEED ....
