I summarized more or less all of that earlier, but I think you're agreeing with me without agreeing with me. They are fleet vehicles, they just happen to be cars sold with the optional police package on them (better throttle response, stiffer suspension, stripper out interior etc.). That's splitting hairs.
Regarding the cost of each car vs. how many a department might buy, I think we can all do the math, friend. The thing is the money spent on equipment for the cars is going to be spent regardless of whether the vehicle is a Ford Taurus or a Lamborghini. The cost of the vehicle itself is irrelevant when focusing on my original point/question I posed above.
Why can't Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge sell law enforcement agencies a four door car with good performance and a functional body shape for $35,000 to $40,000? I'm not asking the police to spend more. I'm asking Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge to charge less for their s*** cars, or start delivering the goods at their current asking price. If people would like another example of a manufacturer that doesn't screw people around for that kind of money; have a look at the BMW 3 series. You can get a four door model like the 335i/340i for around $34,000 to $38,000 if you're a civilian. New models produce about 320BHP from a turbocharged 6-cylinder engine, with 0-60 times of about 4.5 seconds and a top speed of around 140mph. These cars are also extremely well equipped, quiet and comfortable. Make whatever arguements you will about ongoing maintainence costs, but once again; the point I'm making is that BMW sells vehicles at the $35,000-$40,000 price point that are believed to be as good as they can be before rolling off the assembly line, and they outperform and outequip everything Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge have given law enforcement agencies as fleet cars to date.
Why? Why can't Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet step up?
A strong possibility considering the downsides of the Ford Taurus and Explorer "Interceptors". I'd actually love to see them embrace the Tesla they were given and have some kind of police specific variant of that developed for mass sales.
You'll note however, that almost all of the Dodge Chargers ordered were the V6 ones due to fuel consumption. The V8 ones are being sent to academies for training (way to give your cadets a false sense of confidence in the vehicle they drive). My bulky Chevrolet SUV I owned outperforms that models 0-60 time by half a second. At least the Charger has a bigger trunk *face palm*.