Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police superintendent Garry McCarthy are touting the arrival of new Ford Interceptor police vehicles as a double win for the city -- both economically and from a law enforcement perspective.
The city ordered 500 of the sedans and SUVs earlier this year, a $15 million deal that includes the manufacturing of the vehicles at Ford's Torrence Avenue plant in Chicago.
The first of the 51 of the marked and unmarked vehicles included in the first batch were delivered on Wednesday. More vehicles will trickle in over the next few weeks, with a second batch of 90 vehicles arriving in March.
The cars are built specifically with a police officer's needs in mind, with features including all-wheel drive, a stability control system, efficient fuel economy and an interior designed to hold a great deal of equipment.
Ford officials say 230 new jobs were created to support the production of the Interceptor vehicles, with more expected to be added over time.
