For years, Ford has had the police cruiser market locked down. Despite neglecting to update the old school, body-on-frame Crown Victoria for nearly two decades, there is no car more instantly recognizable as a police car.

According to Autoblog, 70 percent of police cars sold in the past five years were Crown Victorias. That monopoly has been challenged recently by the Chevy Impala and Dodge Charger, both of which have similar engine power but get better gas mileage. Ford has seen the writing on the wall and has revealed the new 2012 Taurus Police Interceptor to replace the elderly Crown Victoria.

Ford worked closely with police to ensure that the new Taurus Police Interceptor model would fit the needs of law enforcement personnel. Ford says the Interceptor is the only car currently available that will withstand a 75-mph rear-end collision. The new Taurus police car will reportedly also have twice the body durability of the current Crown Vic-based model.

The 2012 Taurus Police Interceptor will be available with two different engines. The base model will be powered by the standard Taurus’ 3.5-liter V6, which has 263-horsepower and will reportedly get 25 percent better fuel economy than the V8-powered Crown Vic. The base model Interceptor can be ordered with either front or all-wheel drive. A high-performance model, equipped with the Taurus SHO’s powertrain, will also be available.

Picture via Autoblog.