Volkswagen Touran Added to Thuringia Police Fleet

Vehicles handed over to Minister of the Interior on Friday

Wolfsburg/Erfurt, 20 January 2006; Police in the German State of Thuringia now also have the Volkswagen Touran in their fleet. On Friday, representatives from the Wolfsburg carmaker handed over 29 vehicles to State Minister of the Interior Dr. Karl Heinz Gasser. Volkswagen beat the competition in a Europe-wide invitation to tender issued by the State of Thuringia.

The vehicles will be used by all state police authorities in future. At the presentation in Erfurt, Minister Gasser said that, in addition to the technical requirements, the economy of the vehicles with regard to consumption and servicing were taken into consideration when the Volkswagen Touran was chosen. Volkswagen made the best offer of all. The order was the largest ever made by the state police force for the purchase of vehicles.

Dieter Mielke, responsible for the police in the Volkswagen sales department, stressed that the Touran is becoming a popular vehicle for the police. Its vehicle architecture definitely meets the requirements for everyday police use. Climbing in and out is easy thanks to the vehicle height, the interior provides plenty of space for occupants and the boot is large enough to carry all of the equipment required by the patrol car crew. The durable diesel engine also delivers ample power.

The latest order for patrol cars from the state police sees Volkswagen expand its leading position in the supply of police authorities in Germany. The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer is already the clear market leader as around half of all German police vehicles bear the Volkswagen badge.