Volkswagen Australia has teamed up with local technology firm Lumen, to offer in-car upgrades to future police vehicles, eliminating the need for bulky data terminals and brackets, as well as integrating core electronic functions into the vehicle’s infotainment system.

The vehicle manufacturer is supporting Lumen in integrating police vehicle electronic functions into the infotainment system, eliminating the need for bulky data terminals and mounting brackets.

Across Australia, more than 2000 Volkswagen patrol cars have earned their stripes with police agencies and there’s now a plan to future-proof the fleet by upgrading the infotainment system to integrate core functions.

Australian police agencies requested that a Volkswagen Passat Alltrack demonstration vehicle be built, because they wanted the combination of a wagon body with higher bumper clearance to improve incident response times by allowing them to more easily go over speed bumps or gutters.

Volkswagen police cars have already earned their stripes across Australia over the past two years, as patrol cars in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia with a mix of Passat sedans and wagons and Tiguan SUVs

Since the demise of local vehicle manufacturing in 2017, the Australian police vehicle fleet market has become a haven for importers seeking to gain a share of the business.

There has been no uniform approach on the replacements for Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore patrol cars for the last five years, with most states and territories taking different directions.

Police agencies are still trying to figure out what type of vehicle would be best for their area, which is why police cars we so on the road today vary from Hyundai, Toyota, and Volkswagen sedans to Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, and Volkswagen SUVs.

Volkswagen wants to separate itself from the other car companies seeking police fleet business by partnering with local technology firm Lumen, which began making trailer wiring harnesses and now provides in-vehicle integration systems.

Volkswagen says it has future-proofed the Lumen infotainment package so that it can be easily adapted to future generations’ infotainment systems, which should be available in about 18 months.