The police cruiser, a century-old symbol of policing, is on the way out in favour of sport utility vehicles.

Charlottetown police began phasing out sedans in its vehicle fleet last year, with the addition of two SUVs that replaced two older cruisers. The new SUVs also feature a new look, with green and blue to match other Charlottetown vehicles.

"This provided an opportunity after a couple of long years of COVID and other challenges to refresh our brand, get something that reflected our modern police services and really had a positive look," said Charlottetown Chief Brad MacConnell.

The new SUVs are hybrids, an important advance, said MacConnell, and also have practical advantages.

"The SUVs provide a lot more all-weather capability," he said.

"Oftentimes in the winter months we would have to borrow trucks from our public works department to deal with inclement weather. The SUVs allow us to maintain that road presence."

Manufacturers across North America are moving toward SUVs as police vehicles, so choices for cruisers are becoming limited, said MacConnell.

The SUVs will be added to the fleet as older cruisers are retired. Three more are scheduled to arrive this year.