Safer and greener new police vehicle unveiled in Wellington

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster unveiled the new police primary response vehicle, the Skoda Superb, in Wellington on Monday morning. Video / Mark Mitchell

It's the end of an era for New Zealand police, with Holden fleet vehicles being replaced with the Skoda Superb this year.

A fitted-out police car, the first of 3000 new vehicles available through the contract, was revealed by Commissioner Andrew Coster in Wellington on Monday.

"For frontline staff, their vehicles are their primary place of work," he said.

"The Skoda Superb provides a safer, more comfortable environment for them while being value for money and reducing our carbon emissions across the fleet."

Last year, Holden announced it would pull out of Australia and New Zealand, after supplying New Zealand's police cars for decades.

New Zealand police went to market for a new fleet supplier, with the Skoda chosen in November as one of seven companies responding to the tender.

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Coster said the vehicles were tested against rigorous criteria, such as radio interference, brake testing, emissions and performance.

The 2000 primary response vehicles currently in the Police fleet would be replaced when they reached the end of their life, hitting the ground running with the first 100 by the end of June.

The next 386 would be rolled out by the end of the year.

Sergeant Mark Moody inspects the new Perspex barriers, a feature in the new police primary response vehicle, the Skoda Superb. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Some of the new prototype features included internal Perspex barriers for officers' safety and real-time location information on each vehicle to assist with deployment.

There were two versions of the vehicle - the 162KW two-wheel drive and the 206KW four-wheel drive.

The majority of the fleet would be the 2WD – which was 30 per cent more efficient in terms of CO2 emissions – with the 4WD used for rural and southern parts of the country.

Sergeant Cherie Morgan at the wheel of the new police primary response vehicle, the Skoda Superb. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Coster said both vehicles would reduce carbon emissions compared to the current fleet, with the 4WD model reducing emissions from 180.7 to 176g per kilometre.

"We're committed to reducing our carbon emissions even further and, as part of our 10-year plan to achieve an emissions-free fleet, we've begun discussions with Skoda around what opportunities there may be in the future," he said.

"While not currently a viable option for our fleet, hybrid technology continues to develop and open up further opportunities."