At a joint press conference held in Washington D.C., BMW and Carbon Motors announced a strategic partnership that will see the German automaker supplying the American law enforcement vehicle manufacturer with diesel engines.
The agreement calls for delivery of BMW's 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engines complete with cooling and exhaust gas system and 6-speed automatic transmission for the Carbon E7 rear-wheel drive purpose-built police vehicle.
In the U.S. market 335d and X5 35d, the straight-six diesel produces 265-horsepower at 4,200 rpm and 425 lb-ft of peak torque between 1,750 and 2,250 rpm, while returning 23mpg city / 36mpg highway and 19mpg city / 26mpg highway respectively.
Carbon Motors, which was founded in 2003, said it is estimated that the U.S. law enforcement fleet consumes around 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline and emits an estimated 14 million tons of CO2 annually.
The company believes that the BMW-diesel-powered Carbon E7 will cut both figures by up to 40 percent.
"America's largest, and most visible fleets of government-owned vehicles, now in excess of 450,000 units, deserve the most durable, efficient and reliable powertrain available," said William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Carbon Motors Corporation.
"The strength of BMW as a partner will allow us to provide our women and men in uniform with a diesel engine capable of the performance they desire along with the significant reduction in fuel consumption and emissions that U.S. taxpayers need."
When it enters full production, the Carbon C7 will compete with the new FWD/AWD Ford Taurus Interceptor powered by either naturally aspirated or turbocharged V6s, GM's new RWD Chevy Caprice Police car offered with V8 powertrains and the current Dodge Charger. The police car market in the U.S. comprises about 65,000 vehicles annually.
