Today, Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) joined local economic development organizations Southwest Michigan First, Cornerstone Alliance, and the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce in hosting an event with Indiana-based automotive manufacturer Carbon Motors Corporation. The event, which was held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo, gave southwest Michigan automotive suppliers the unique opportunity to directly engage the large manufacturer and see what opportunities are available for their own services. It also afforded Carbon Motors the occasion to showcase to area law enforcement the company's long anticipated Carbon E7, an innovative purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle.
Carbon Motors has indicated that they would like to roll out tens of thousands of the fuel efficient, diesel engine law enforcement vehicles per year once their Connersville, Indiana facility is complete. While the first-of-its-kind vehicle will be manufactured in Indiana, Carbon Motors will be looking to automotive part suppliers throughout the United States to get the job done. Dozens of southwest Michigan suppliers were present for today's event to meet with Carbon Motors representatives and express their interest in supplying parts, from hoses and glass, to lights and mirrors.
“Time and again, I have witnessed how small businesses are leading the way for job creation and innovation here in southwest Michigan,” said Upton. “When it comes to competing, our region’s manufacturers are unmatched in skills and experience. Today, that case was made to the folks at Carbon Motors, who had the opportunity to speak firsthand with southwest Michigan automotive suppliers and law enforcement. We are all thrilled with the work being done at Carbon Motors to meet the needs of the law enforcement community and look forward to the role our region will play because of the partnerships forged today.”
In addition to regional part suppliers, invitations to the event were also extended to area law enforcement agencies, which have long awaited production of the Carbon E7.
"It was spectacular to finally see one of these vehicles in person," said Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller, who represented one of the many local law enforcement agencies in attendance. "I am very excited to see that jobs could be created in this region to help law enforcement, to help everyone with a purpose-built law enforcement vehicle. There is lots of excitement in the law enforcement community about the car and I cannot wait to test drive one myself."
While most emergency responders use vehicles designed to make them more effective in their jobs, law enforcement has long relied on modified retail passenger cars for demanding operations. The E7 is the very first vehicle to have been designed from the ground up with the needs and demands of today's law enforcement officer in mind. The high-performance diesel engine will save substantial taxpayer dollars over current gasoline engines as well as help reduce our nation's growing dependence on volatile energy-producing nations. The vehicle is also equipped with many other police-specific features, including: integrated emergency lights and flashers, 360-degree exterior video and audio monitoring, automatic license plate recognition system, specially designed back seat for apprehended suspects, and integrated weapons storage, to name only a few.
