The Crown Vic Business Opportunity
The City of Austin is planning on buying 176 Crown Vics at $25,000 each before the model ends its run. Why? Well, because the new crop of cop cars just don't cut it.
Yes, this is one of the worst things to see behind you
When I started business school my first presentation was on the Crown Vic, and how someone should buy the factories and tooling (there are a lot of factories for sale right now - for every kind of car part and assembly). You see, the needs of fleets, and cops and taxis in particular, are very different from the needs of regular car buyers. To us, a body-on-frame car is a complete anachronism in an age when most "SUVs" are now unibody crossovers with curvy sides, all-season (not all-terrain) tires and 3000lb tow ratings.
It is manufactured at the St. Thomas Assembly is an automobile plant in Ontario, Canada. This is a 2,600,000 sq ft (242,000 m2) facility which lose the region 1,400 jobs when it shuts later this year.
I know that the world is changing, and I know that there are a lot of people calling for hybrid fleet cars etc. But a hybrid cop car? No. Cops need durability and reliability. You could sell 100,000 a year, at a profit, I think without much trouble. Total investment is low, margins are good, and while it might be a long-term dead end - it is a cash cow. Make it your Hathaway shirt company and become the next Buffet.
Yes, this is one of the worst things to see behind you
When I started business school my first presentation was on the Crown Vic, and how someone should buy the factories and tooling (there are a lot of factories for sale right now - for every kind of car part and assembly). You see, the needs of fleets, and cops and taxis in particular, are very different from the needs of regular car buyers. To us, a body-on-frame car is a complete anachronism in an age when most "SUVs" are now unibody crossovers with curvy sides, all-season (not all-terrain) tires and 3000lb tow ratings.
It is manufactured at the St. Thomas Assembly is an automobile plant in Ontario, Canada. This is a 2,600,000 sq ft (242,000 m2) facility which lose the region 1,400 jobs when it shuts later this year.
I know that the world is changing, and I know that there are a lot of people calling for hybrid fleet cars etc. But a hybrid cop car? No. Cops need durability and reliability. You could sell 100,000 a year, at a profit, I think without much trouble. Total investment is low, margins are good, and while it might be a long-term dead end - it is a cash cow. Make it your Hathaway shirt company and become the next Buffet.
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