(March 19, 2012) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Following the successful debut of the Dodge Charger Pursuit, Dodge will begin offering a Durango Special Service model for fleet use. The Dodge Durango Special Service SUV is specially designed to handle the rigors of everyday use by police and fire departments and fleet customers.

Chrysler Group fleet operations will start taking orders now, with deliveries expected to begin in the second quarter of 2012.

"We're incredibly excited to add the Dodge Durango Special Service to our line-up of law enforcement vehicles," said Peter Grady, Vice President of Network Development and Fleet Operations. "Adding Durango to our current Dodge Charger Pursuit and Ram 1500 Special Service vehicles allows us to offer a full range of fleet sedan, SUV, and truck options to law enforcement and government agencies."

"The standard Durango has several class-leading attributes, such as power, towing and a driving range of more than 550 miles, so it is a natural to become a great utility tool for law enforcement and general fleet customers," said Reid Bigland, President and CEO – Dodge Brand. "This Special Service version will no doubt be a major asset to any agency in need of a durable, yet comfortable, SUV."

The Dodge Durango Special Service carries all of the SUV's utility, such as available 7,400-pound towing capacity, more than 550-mile driving range with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine, and available 360 horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine.

Available in rear- or all-wheel drive, the Dodge Durango Special Service model comes with the following additional components designed for the rigors of daily fleet use: A heavy-duty brake package, heavy-duty battery, larger-output 220-amp alternator and heavy-duty water pump and engine oil cooler.

A 5-year/100,000-mile fully transferrable powertrain warranty helps eliminate worry of any repair costs to the covered components.

Dodge Durango Special Service also has a customizable rear cargo area with under-floor storage compartments and additional storage in the side compartments. Further modifications include a special service interior dome lamp and headliner, spot lamp wiring prep and the deletion of the third row of seats for more cargo capacity. Even with the deletion of the third row, the second row still has separate air conditioning and heat controls.

These modifications make the already stout Durango more than capable of handling daily fleet use.

The Dodge Durango Special Service will be built at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. It joins the Dodge Charger Pursuit sedan and Ram 1500 Special Service truck currently available to government fleet customers.