FREEZE! Hyundai's new Kona EV arrives at NSW Police Force

The Hyundai Kona EV has joined the New South Wales police for 12 months, as the Penrith Police Station takes delivery of the small SUV before a new facelifted version launches later this year.

The red-and-blue Kona EV won’t be looking to stop trouble, though, since it does not feature any bespoke equipment other than stickers. It will instead be used to drive community engagement.

Hyundai hopes this will help the brand win new EV fans and demonstrate the car’s unique benefits that the 2021 Kona EV will enhance when it arrives priced from $60,470.

The Penrith Police Station has been fitted with an AC charger in its underground car park. Hyundai claims the Kona EV police car will spend plenty of time on patrol because its claimed range is 449km.

“The Hyundai Kona electric vehicle is a valuable addition to the Nepean Police Area Command,” says Nepean Police Area Command’s Chris Keane, “and will assist our Crime Prevention Unit with its community engagement initiatives.

“The sponsored vehicle with unique police markings is generating a lot of interest and comments when out in the community, and we are grateful to Hyundai for its support of our Command.”

NSW Police has a long history of using special cars for community engagement.

Some of our favourites include a 2015 Audi RS4 with V8 power, the Honda Civic Type R and even an FPV GT-F.

That's quite a selection of performance machines, but it pales compared to vehicles the rest of the world’s police forces have used for promotional purpose.

When it comes to actually catching criminals, though, NSW highway patrol has relied on the Chrysler 300 SRT, a V8 powered four-door sedan capable of hitting 100km/h in under five seconds.

However, they’ll be looking for other options soon after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia revealed the SRT sedan will no longer be sold in Australia once the NSW Police Force’s 2021 orders are fulfilled.

This will leave the BMW 530d as the main strike weapon for NSW Police, along with an ever-ageing handful of Holden Commodore SS Vs that the Service is stubbornly clinging onto.

The Victorian Highway Patrol also employs the BMW 530d for highway patrol duty while the Northern Territory and Queensland services chose to enlist Kia Stingers to replace the Ford Falcon and Commodore.