Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will produce an all-new purpose-built Police Interceptor specially designed and engineered to replace the Ford Crown Victoria law enforcement vehicle lineup in 2011.

The Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, introduced in the early 1980s, remains the top-selling police sedan despite coming under attack earlier this decade for gas-tank explosions during rear end collisions. In fact, the car commands about 75% of the market segment, according to Ford. Now, Ford plans to discontinue the aging Crown Victoria in 2011.

Through August, Ford has sold 28,458 Crown Victoria’s, a 33% decline compared with last year, according to Autodata Corp. About 90% of Crown Victoria’s sales are to police departments and for other government and municipal uses, Ford sales analyst George Pipas said.

Today, Ford declined to provide the name of the new car it is developing but said it has been working on the vehicle for the past 14 months with its own Police Advisory Board.

Ford said the durability, safety and performance of the new car will exceed the existing Crown Victoria.

Analysts and dealers suggest that the most likely replacement would come from Ford’s full-size car platform which is the same platform that is used for the 2010 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS full-size sedans.

“I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard,” Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a member of Ford’s Police Advisory Board, said in a statement.

Ford said the new police car will be offered without interruption when production of the Ford Crown Victoria ends in late 2011.

Ford said today it plans to reveal the new model and provide full vehicle specifications in the first quarter of 2010. However, by 2011, Ford will face increased competition in the segment.

Chrysler Group LLC, General Motors Co. and Connersville, Ind.-based Carbon Motors Corp. all are aggressively pursuing the police car market.