A suitability project by SA Police has led to the Kia Sorrento and the new overseas built Holden Commodore (ZB) being identified as suitable for use as general duties vehicles, according to SA Police.
In 2017 SA Police commenced a project to identify vehicles to replace the Australian built Holden Commodore.
SA Police has now taken delivery of six Kia Sorrentos that have been fitted for general duties patrol use. The Kia will be released into the field shortly for suitability testing and evaluation.
The new Holden Commodore will be imported from Germany and will not be available in Australia before March 2018. Fit out and operational testing will occur in South Australia after this time.
Australian and New Zealand Policing agencies (ANZPAA) approved a set of national vehicle specifications for a general duties police vehicle. The national specifications have a minimum 5 Star ANCAP safety rating to ensure existing high standards are maintained.
Safety was a significant consideration in the selection process and the KIA Sorrento recently received the highest ever safety rating in crash testing for an SUV in Australia.
During the field trials, the six new Kia Sorrentos will be deployed throughout the state.
