Just the Facts:

• The Charger Pursuit is Chrysler's next-generation police vehicle.
• It's a good look at the redesigned 2011 Dodge Charger, which will be unveiled later in 2010.
• The Pursuit will come with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and the 5.7-liter Hemi V8.

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — The 2011 Dodge Charger Pursuit, Chrysler's answer to the Ford Police Interceptor, was revealed today. It offers an early look at the redesigned 2011 Dodge Charger, which will be unveiled later this year, Chrysler confirmed for Inside Line.

"You should think of this as the beginning of the all-new Dodge Charger retail vehicle coming out at the end of the year [for the general public]," said Chrysler spokesman Jiyan Cadiz in a phone conversation. "The image is pretty much covered up. But we'll likely get the face on the production one. I'm trying to protect this car [the 2011 Charger] so you'll have another story to write later."
Cadiz said trying to maintain the mystery of the redesigned Charger is the reason Chrysler only released one darkened image of the 2011 Dodge Charger Pursuit. Chrysler described the new look as having a "sinister face," in a statement.
Cadiz was also unable to provide such key details as pricing and horsepower numbers on the two engines that will be available in Chrysler's latest cop car. Cadiz did say the 2011 Pursuit would be "more powerful" than the 2010 Dodge Charger police vehicle. "That one delivered 250 horsepower on the 3.5-liter [V6] and 360 hp on the [V8]," he noted.
Chrysler said in a statement that the Charger Pursuit gets a standard E85-capable 3.6-liter V6 engine or an optional 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine. The Pursuit can be ordered in September and will go into production at the end of the year. The Taurus-based Ford Police Interceptor, which replaces the Crown Victoria police car, is scheduled for launch in North America in late 2011. The Ford Police Interceptor gets a standard 263-hp 3.5-liter V6 engine or the optional 365-hp EcoBoost V6.
For 2011, the Dodge Charger police vehicle gets a new name: Pursuit. "The new name [was given] just to be a little more relevant in the police market," Cadiz said.
Cadiz said that Dodge now has "almost 20 percent of the police vehicle market in the U.S.," or roughly one out of every five police vehicles on the road.
The rear-wheel-drive Dodge Charger Pursuit gets performance suspension tuning, heavy-duty antilock brakes, front and rear stabilizer bars, 18-inch performance tires on steel wheels and two-mode police-specific electronic stability control. The cabin has red/white LED lighting for night vision equipment and police-duty front seats.
"The minute you see it, you lock on the brakes," said Cadiz.

[inside line]