What will Wall Street do with no Town Car?
UPDATE 1 - Ford announced this morning (9/15) that it will continue to offer the Town Car beyond 2007. More after the jump.
In New York City, black Lincoln Town Cars are almost as common as yellow cabs. Workers who stay late at their offices often pick up the phone, dial a livery service, and collapse into the back seats of the ubiquitous Lincs for the ride home. This sequence is replayed in urban centers across the country. The Detroit News knows this, and wonders what's going to happen if the big Linc goes to automotive heaven after 2007 as has been rumored.
The article mentions the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Chrysler 300C as potential replacements. While this could be a golden opportunity for the Chrysler 300 (and its long-wheelbase variant) to move in, and maybe the Cadillac DTS as well, we'll bet on the Merc and its Ford Crown Vic twin.
Why? They're built on the same platform, have the same powertrain, and equally substantial trunk space. Fleet versions are available with a 6" wheelbase stretch, which takes care of the discrepancy in rear-seat room. Fully-loaded examples are almost as plush, and importantly, servicing them should be no different than servicing the Town Car. We don't see why livery services would want to move away from the Panther platform cars, which have more than proven themselves in America's urban jungles as taxis, police cars, and upscale chauffered rides like the Town Car.
(Continues after the jump)
[Source: The Detroit News]
The platform's not going away, so Lincoln could conceivably relent and keep the big, traditional sedan alive (we're not holding our breath), as it has a definite place in the automotive landscape. Now, is it a BMW 7-series? No way, and it doesn't pretend to be. But it's big, comfortable, quiet and easy to drive (and drive fast, at that). Those are qualities that make it attractive to both paid drivers and the paying passengers decompressing in back.
Lincoln's all about "Reaching Higher" now, and the Town Car just doesn't seem to fit that profile. Unfortunate, since it's greatest sin is simply that it's old. That doesn't mean it's no good.
What will Wall Street do with no Town Town car? It'll do just fine. Hopefully, the same can be said for Lincoln.
Update: This morning (9/15) during its Accelerated Way Forward announcement, Ford confirmed that it will indeed offer the Lincoln Town Car beyond MY 2007. Production of the big Linc will move to the company's St. Thomas, Ontario plant.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rwdmtparkingonly 5:11PM (9/14/2006)
The Chrysler 300C looks way cooler than a Crown Vic. Usually people on Wall Street are only in the back of a Crown Vic after being busted for securities fraud.
Some people might claim that the live axle on the Crown Vic is easier to maintain, but I've seen Dr. Z take out the rear end of a 300C in less than five seconds.
Reply
Ken 5:11PM (9/14/2006)
Why on God's earth do people think Lincoln will go before Mercury? What exactly IS Mercury's identity? Please someone explain why the rumors are flying about dropping Lincoln and not Mercury.
Reply
Bullitt 5:20PM (9/14/2006)
The winner will be the car what similar to favourite Lincoln
Reply
Vctor Rubiera 5:26PM (9/14/2006)
The Chrysler 300C long wheelbase can easily take the market!!!!!!.
Reply
Andy 5:54PM (9/14/2006)
'Bout time. The Town Car was outdated anyway. The 300 is a far better sedan.
Reply
JON 5:27PM (9/14/2006)
I wouldn't be suprised if Ford introduced a new traditional type Lincoln built off the 500 with a more road worthy driving dynamic.
Reply
fordman 5:38PM (9/14/2006)
I say kill off the towncar and even the crown vic and grand marquis. You have to remember they are built off the 1995 ford F-150 platform. seriously how is Ford supposed to medernize and bring great suffisticated cars to market with old dogs like this? I say make it off the new platform and throw in the 263hp 3.5 V6 they just built. Its more powerful and efficient than the 210hp 4.6 currently powering these cars. And with the new 6sp Auto, its more than enough accelaration.
Reply
jason 5:44PM (9/14/2006)
I agree with number 6. However, it would be sad to see it go. Also what would Limos do?
Reply
G. Snyder 5:58PM (9/14/2006)
"You have to remember they are built off the 1995 ford F-150 platform. "
Are you serious with that? This is hilarious.
The Panther platform dates back to the late '70s. The F150 has nothing to do with the Panther platform. It is true that they are both RWD and both body-on-frame. They both have tires and headlights too. Hey...so does the onld Beetle. Maybe they are related!
Reply
fordman 5:49PM (9/14/2006)
jason you have to realize that in America we are obsessed with power and think 3.5l V6 is not enough. In 1990, 50% of vehicles sold in America went 0-60 above 10 seconds. Nobody thought much about it. A porsche 911 Turbo from 1992 went 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. Corvette had 245hp engine. Now many family sedans go 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. A 3.5 with a 6sp is more than enough in a limo. We are raised that nothing less than a hemi is adequate which is wrong.
Reply
LM Dealer 6:07PM (9/14/2006)
#1 Ken ... the Lincoln brand is not going away. The article says that the Town Car may end production, although this has not been confirmed by Ford yet. Rumors are flying Ken, because so many of our fellow americans have nothing better to do than speculate. If you read a previous article from today you will find that Ford has committed to all of its brands and that none will "go away".
#6 Fordman ... I'm not sure why you believe the Town Car/Grand Marquis/Crown Vics are based on a 1995 F150 platform. These cars were introduced as a 1979 model and have been consantly improved every so often since then. One of the best things about this carline is that they are well known to fleet mechanics, thus cheaper to maintain. Ford definately needs new and improved product, but this is also a great product that has a strong following of buyers seeking traditional type transportation. I am sure you will see at least the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria survive another five years...maybe more.
Reply
AZMike 6:10PM (9/14/2006)
the Cadillac is a far superior to the Town Car in every way. I owned a livery business for eight years, and we had Cadillac deVilles exclusively. we put on just under four million miles, without one problem of any kind.
now, for Lincoln issues: saggy front springs, rear air suspension failures, cracked (plastic) intake manifolds, transmission problems, driveline problems, universal joints, valve seals (smoking), poor fuel economy (and 40-60 less horsepower than the Cadillac), and an inferior warranty. the Cadillac (W20 livery package) is 3 years/150,000 miles; the Lincoln is 3 years/100,000 miles for livery appications.
the 300L will not really be a viable choice, for several reasons.
1) it is not being built by Chrysler, but by an outside source, Accubuilt. Accubuilt is talking about building 10,000 units per year (woefully inadequate), and they have had serious quality issues on many of their past projects. I don't think they could build half that many.
2) durability. with the exception of the 3.5L and Hemi engines (which are good) the other components are of unknown durability in this application. many of the drivetrain parts are from other Mercedes-Benz models (like the transmission) and these are $6,000 items, not $2,500 items like on domestic vehicles.
3) warranty. Chrysler hasn't announced a different warranty for this application, and most factory warranties specifically exclude vehicles in commercial and livery service.
4) there are many Chrysler 300 limousines out there; just look on ebay. none of them have a factory limousine conversion package; there isn't even one available. this is scary for several reasons.
Cadillac has a Master Coachbuilder program, and Lincoln has a QVM program. these provide a specific coachbuilder chassis to authorized coachbuilders.
it is extremely upgraded; in the Lincoln, it essentially makes everything underneath on the level of a 1/2 ton Ford truck. the Cadillac is even more impressive; eight lug wheels, hydroboost brakes, and brake rotors (front and rear) from a one-ton Chevy truck!
this may not sound really important, but if you have a 140 inch stretch (like many of the 300s are) this adds a tremendous amount of weight; as much as 7,000 pounds MORE than it was designed to carry as a regular car, all on the original tires, and with the original brakes. scary.
without having any quality requirements for coachbuilders (and Chrysler doesn't), someone could build one of these in their garage. if one was involved in a serious accident, the results of a bad conversion could be catastrophic.
the Grand Marquis stretch would be a great choice for this application except for one thing: status. about the only hearts that would skip a beat seeing one of these would be in the vicinity of a Hometown Buffet. the livery business exists because of status; if that wasn't the case, everyone would take a taxi.
Mike
Reply
j-dawg 6:14PM (9/14/2006)
(1), Lincoln is not going anywhere. But the closing of the Wixom, MI plant means the Town Car will almost definetely die. The Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis are built in St. Thomas, Ontario, on the Panther platform and not the '95 F-150 platform.
I can see the death of the Town Car as a great opportunity to move the Grand Marquis upmarket. Ford should really try to make Mercury distinct from the Ford brand in more than appearance--it needs to be, like Buick, an intermediate step between Lincoln and Ford. As Mercury is now, it's just a Ford with a waterfall grille.
Reply
Tal D 6:32PM (9/14/2006)
We have just ended a two week driving experience in a Lincoln Town Car after our Chrysler Van's transmission destroyed itself. Let me say it was pure pleasure and we hated to return it today...the Van now feels like being in a truck because you are sitting up so much higher. Gas mileage was comparable to the van..but the low intensity road noise, the V-8 power and the degree of comfort was wonderful. There was a learning curve when it came to the gas pedal(a little pressure went a long way) and the power steering was very sensitive; that was the only negative but it did not take long to learn not to over steer. I truely hope Lincoln/Ford does not cease production of the Town Car...They must realize there will be millions of baby boomers and pre-baby boomers that will have the $$ to spend on such a fine vehicle in order to travel with the room and comfort that makes a trip less tiring.I know some of the technology is not state of the art but upgrades might bring it up to date...Have read some about the MKS based on the Ford 500/ Volvo S80 platform but I am not sure of the status of the MKS..will it be built? Will it provide the room and comfort of a Town Car? Driving/handling should be far superior to the Town Car.I don't know how important taht may be to old folks.
Drove a Crown Vic all over AZ and NV for a couple of weeks ...definitely not the same comfort..seats too soft..but did have adequate room, power and decent gas mileage ..I believe the same V8 as Town Car. i've rambled enough.
Reply
Dave 6:56PM (9/14/2006)
How about a Buick Lucerne? The CXS is pretty cool.
Reply
fordman 7:18PM (9/14/2006)
I am sorry! I am sorry! made a big mistake. The Crown Vic we see did come out around the mid 90's, so I thought it was the F-150. The engine and tranny are the same, but thats it. Thanks everyone for pointing it out. It indeed is the panther.
However the point still remains the same, Ford needs to modernize. A car that for 2007 makes 224hp from 4.6l is not acceptable. Thats less than 50hp per liter. Ford can do better. Its neglect that is killing ford not UAW or whatever else. Taurus, Ranger (i own one) focus are just a few to mention that are just left to whither away.
Reply
Sanfam 7:52PM (9/14/2006)
I don't see why 224hp is bad when the powerband starts low and is pretty damned wide, while also requiring minimal mechanical complexity. Those engines have proven themselves time and time again on the streets of American cities as reliable and nearly impossible to kill.
Why introduce an additional element of mechanical complexity when none is truly needed? Sure, it might not measure up in terms of technological whizbangery to anything new, but it sure as hell doesn't need much upkeep.
Reply
LMdealer 10:10PM (9/14/2006)
the Cadillac is even more impressive; eight lug wheels, hydroboost brakes, and brake rotors (front and rear) from a one-ton Chevy truck!
I highly doubt that the brake rotors from a one ton rear wheel drive chevy truck chassis would fit onto a front wheel drive Cadillac. I am also surprised that none of your Cadillacs ever had severe head or head gasket problems. It seems that every 98-02 or so DeVille that is traded toward a Town Car at our store has Head issues.
Reply
Chris H. 10:13PM (9/14/2006)
#12- you drive 1369.86 Mi per day?
damn, i havent seen your name in Guinness yet....
Reply
Andrew 10:12PM (9/14/2006)
I think #12 knows what he is talking about and the convo should cease.
On a side note. Did a Chevy Celebrity ever transport a celebrity?
Reply