Camry V6 in the running for police duties

There’s another name to add to the growing list of potential cop cars lining up to replace former force favourites like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.

Toyota Australia officials have confirmed to CarsGuide that the new Japanese-built Camry V6 is being shopped as potential patrol car to both state and federal governments.

“There are a lot of brands on the market, but we believe that the V6 has real potential,” said Toyota Australia senior divisional manager of sales and marketing Sean Hanley told CarsGuide.

“It’s one that we are exploring further, and we are in active talks with governments about the V6 Camry.”

It’s not the first time Toyotas have been tapped to serve and protect. The locally-built Aurion was built to Victorian Police specifications to serve as a general duty car, while specially-equipped LandCruisers are a favourite of tactical response group teams in NSW.

As well, both four-cylinder and hybrid Camrys have been deployed to various commands throughout the country.

“We are very active with government customers,” confirmed corporate manager of product planning, Marcus Umlauff. has actually attended NSW Police braking and acceleration tests at the driver training centre in Goulburn, as part of a previous automotive industry role.

While those tests are designed to test a car’s potential as a highway patrol car, it’s more likely that the V6 Camry – which is fitted with the same 244kW 3.5-litre V6 and eight-speed as the Kluger SUV – will be deployed as a general duties car.

The company’s six-cylinder Aurion was ruled ineligible for highway patrol duty in 2015, after failing the rigorous brake testing component of the assessment process.

Mr Hanley confirmed that while there are currently no plans to equip the Camry with emergency services-specific updates like heavier-gauge wiring looms or second batteries, there is still a business case to pursue.

“We still believe there is potential there,” he said.

Other cars currently on the police radar include the Chrysler 300, Volvo XC60 and the BMW 5 Series.

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