What are four Toyotas doing among the police Holden fleet?

Friday, 21 August 2015

It's a mystery that has had car fans scratching their heads: why are there several Toyota police cars out there, cruising the beat?

The official cars of New Zealand Police are Holdens, but eagle-eyed petrolheads have spotted there are four Toyotas on our roads.

The sightings suggest just how close Toyota came to getting the vehicle fleet contract that ticked over this June.

Police put out a request last year for carmakers to bid for the contract to take over the fleet of roughly 3100 cars – excluding undercover vehicles – by the end of June 2015.

Toyota and Skoda were among those competing with incumbent Holden.

The four Toyotas – two of which are in Wellington, one in the Bay of Plenty, and one in Counties-Manukau – are prototypes that police agreed to buy whatever the outcome of the tendering process.

One of the cars is understood to be in use by Prime Minister John Key's bodyguards in the Diplomatic Protection Squad.

A spokesman for the vehicle and equipment procurement office at police headquarters said Toyota was shortlisted, and supplied the two Camry and two Aurion vehicles. Police agreed they would buy them once the tender process was completed.

'So although Toyota were ultimately unsuccessful, their tendered vehicles are now part of the police fleet.'

The workhorses of the police fleet are Holden Commodore VF and S models. Police have previously used Ford Falcons and Nissan Maximas.

Police budgeted about $31 million to spend on their vehicle fleet in the 2013-14 financial year.

The new contract includes replacing the current fleet by making 400 to 500 new police vehicles a year, according to the tender.