Well we all knew it was coming.  The end of the Lincoln Town Car.  Yes, the long time staple of the limousine industry is going the way of the dinosaur.  The last Town Car rolled off of the assembly line last August. Allpoints Limo will have to find another car to use for airport sedan service.

To understand how this is affecting the limo industry you have to understand just how dominate the Town Car was in limo fleets and why.  Town Cars accounted for 90 plus percent of all airport sedans in most markets.  In many places airport limo services were called Town Car Companies.  The reason was simple.  In an age where cars became smaller the Town Car retained a large back seat area.  For the most part car designers place most of the leg room in front as it is assumed that the rear will hold children in a average family car.  Additionally, the trunk is a popular area to slice away weight and inches. 

The Lincoln Town Car retained a larger than normal rear seating area and the trunk was legendary for being able to hold up to 8 full size suitcases.  Thus as with the survival of the fittest the Town Car became the staple of the limousine industry.  Add to this the fuel efficent 4.6 liter power plant which would get about 21 miles to a gallon and it is easy to see the attraction.  The Town Car also shared most of its parts chain with the cheaper Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis.  Therefore, parts were cheap and repaires were inexpensive.  The perfect livery vehicle.

At Allpoints Limousines we are, like the rest of the industry, looking to the future.  There are several choices but all seem to have some drawbacks.  One of the tools Neal Arnold and Karen O’Brien will use to evaluate the new offerings is the go to the LTC Limousine Trade Show in Las Vegas in Feburary.  This year will boast the largest showing of new vendors in many years as car companies not usually associated with the limo industry try to become the next airport limo.

Some of the new offerings are, the Toyata Avalon, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, Chrysler 300, Hyundai Equis, and the all new Cadallic XTS.  Also, Royal Coaches offers a stretched version of the Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion built on a hybrid platform.  Allpoints’s process will include the limo show and possibly renting some of the vehicles we are interested in and using them to get customer imput.

As with all things change is part of running a business.  So as we say a fond farewell to the Lincoln Town Car we look forward to finding the next “perfect airport sedan.”

Neal Arnold