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Detroit's new fleet of donated police cars have safety issues [w/video]

In a show of generosity in mid-August, Detroit's business leaders donated $8 million to the Police Department and Fire Department in order to buy 100 new police vehicles and 23 EMS ambulances. But now officers have discovered - and complained - that the police vehicles have glaring safety issues, Deadline Detroit reports. It is not made clear what models of the fleet vehicles - which include police versions of the Ford Taurus, the Chevrolet Caprice and the Dodge Charger - are affected by the safety issues.
Officers reportedly have complained that the Plexiglass partition separating front-seat officers and back-seat prisoners is easily breached, and that the front passenger seat is installed too close to the dashboard. Prisoners who manage to writhe out of their handcuffs can bend the Plexiglass and reach into the cockpit, and sitting too close to the dashboard can render airbags more dangerous and make officers more vulnerable to injury in a crash.
Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, received the complaints and reportedly said the vehicles would get safety updates addressing the issues. But Deadline Detroit reports that it checked some of the offending police cars and, as of the last few days, they hadn't been updated.

Dodge Vipers selling for $480k in China

Want to get your hands on a new Dodge Viper? Be prepared to pay dearly. It starts at nearly $90k here in the US, but that's nothing compared to what you'd have to pay for one if you lived in, say, China. CarsNewsChina.com reports on one Viper available in Beijing for an eye-watering 298 million yuan – equivalent to about $480,000 at today's exchange rates and representing more than a 500-percent markup. Part of that premium comes down to the Chinese tax code that charges a reported 60 percent for anything with an engine displacing over four liters. And the Viper's, we needn't remind you, is more than twice that. It naturally costs some to import a car to China as well, but most of the rest is pure profit. The Beijing dealership reportedly gets the cars from dealers in California, has already sold three and plans to import several more. The dealer can also get you (or wealthy Chinese individuals) a Corvette Stingray for a comparatively cheap 1.73 million yuan (or $280k). Related Video:

2015 Dodge Charger shows off its new look in New York [w/videos]

With a new look inspired largely by the Dart compact, the 2015 Dodge Charger made its New York Auto Show debut today. Along with the interior and exterior changes, an eight-speed automatic becomes standard across the range.
What hasn't changed is the choice of engines under the Charger's long hood. A 3.7-liter V6 serves as the base mill, and can be had in both rear- and all-wheel-drive varieties, while the 5.7-liter V8 is an optional item and can be had in rear-drive only. Outputs are also carried over from last year, with 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque for the six-pot, while the Hemi V8 delivers 370 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque.
The new exterior treatment is a fairly large departure from the styling tone set by the Charger since its reintroduction to the US market in 2006. The blacked-out, crosshair grille and new headlamps are the biggest changes for 2015, though there are other, less immediately noticeable updates, such as the more rounded "Racetrack" taillamps that, like the front fascia, draw some inspiration from the Dart.