Lincoln Town Car

Can Lincoln Keep Limo Market with MKT "Town Car"?

Who isn't happy to see a Lincoln Town Car waiting for them instead of a Ford Crown Victoria taxi?

This days are coming to a close as the automaker gets close to discontinuing the venerable Town Car, the engineering chassis of which technically dates back to the early 1970s.

Ford just introduced a replacement for the Town Car sedan, based on the Lincoln MKT crossover (see gallery), at an annual gathering of limousine and livery car buyers in Las Vegas.

Lincoln plans to build two chauffeur-dedicated MKT Town Car versions in 2012 to replace the Town Car. But trade publication Automotive News reports that some of the companies that buy airport cars and limousines aren't as happy about the MKT as Ford hopes despite the more modern engineering platform and added cargo room in the vehicle.

Gallery: Lincoln MKT Town Car

Tags: lincoln, Lincoln airport car, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln Town Car

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Goodbye Lincoln Town Car Limo. Hello Lincoln MKT Airport Car.

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Ford, the long-time leader in the limousine and "black car" business, is planning to offer two versions of its MKT crossover SUV to livery companies as it readies to phase out its ubiquitous Lincoln Town Car.

Ford is scheduled to close its St. Thomas Ontario plant next year where the Town Car and Ford Crown Victoria have been built. The engineering platforms for those cars date back to the 1970s, though they have been improved since then several times. But Ford deemed it not worth the investment to upgrade the vehicle architectures for 21st century safety and emissions standards.

The automaker is touting the Lincoln MKT as having more headroom and more advanced technology, especially modern telematics: Lincoln My Touch.

The MKT, launched in 2009, has been controversial for its styling, which many critics find hearse-like. Lincoln has sold just 5,701 MKTs in 2010 through September. It is built in Chicago alongside the Ford Taurus, Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS. Livery, or "black car" sals for the MKT could add 20,000 a year.

Tags: Ford, limousines, Lincoln, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln Town Car

Continue reading “Goodbye Lincoln Town Car Limo. Hello Lincoln MKT Airport Car.”