GM CEO Fritz Henderson Says Pontiac G8 Police Car Plan Is Growing Stronger

SPECULATION BACK IN JULY suggested that GM has been working on a plan to continue offering a rebadged Holden Commodore in the US, possibly under the Chevrolet brand.

Those reports was soon followed by talk of a company insider allegedly confirming that the Commodore would return to the US as a new police cruiser for America's law enforcement agencies - a plan we first reported on in April this year.

This week, GM boss Fritz Henderson confirmed to press at the Frankfurt Motor Show that the US manufacturer is making progress in its plan to build a cruiser for police departments based around the Commodore.

As with many of its peers around the US, the Los Angeles Police Department is understood to be investigating options for replacing its ageing Ford Crown Victoria fleet.

Should the Australian-built large sedan return to the USA, the benefits to Holden, and to its vehicle engineering and design arm, will be immense. The G8, despite the stalling US economy, performed well in the world's largest and toughest car market.

Holden is remaining tight-lipped on any future export plans, but indications are strong that exports of the rebadged Commodore are about to resume, which would see some 40,000 cars sent to the US in law enforcement guise.

In Australia, government regulations require that the country's police forces source vehicles from Holden and Ford in equal numbers. Without such a rule in the US, GM is keen to usurp Ford's position as the preferred supplier to America's law enforcement agencies.

Ford, not ready to give up its place so easily, has been working to drum up police interest in the new Ford Taurus SHO as a potential new cruiser.