One of the most exacting General Motors customers – the U.S. Secret Service – is testing a fleet of 10 of our vehicles at their James J. Rowley Training Center in Laurel, Maryland.
The agency said in a post on its website that they’ve taken delivery of two Cadillac CT4 sedans, two Cadillac CT5 sedans, two Corvettes, a Cadillac Escalade SUV, a Chevrolet Colorado pickup, a Chevrolet Tahoe with a police package, and a Chevrolet Suburban SUV.
In their announcement, the Secret Service said that instructors in the agency’s Protective Transportation Section have been asked to provide feedback on technology integrated into the newly acquired vehicles. The Secret Service also said that having a variety of vehicles on the training campus “keeps the students and instructors fresh.”
The story noted that two of the Cadillac sedans in the newly acquired fleet have manual transmissions. “Not everyone is able to operate a manual shift,” Secret Service driving instructor Mark Armstrong said in the announcement. “Having that platform here will enable us to give instruction on how to drive manual vehicles for overseas trips.”
Constantine Gerukos, another driving instructor, said the SUVs in the fleet were of particular interest, since they are the most likely to be used in the field by uniformed officers and special agents.
"GM is committed to ensuring that the brave men and women who protect our national security and our government institutions have the best equipment to improve their training and to execute their critical mission,” said GM Defense President Steve duMont. “We have always been honored to support our government and are proud to continue to be trusted with this mission.”
As the Secret Service noted, GM supplies some of the agency’s most visible protective vehicles, including presidential parade limousines and other armored SUVs. General Motors is proud to serve our country and to provide vehicles our customers love.