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How the demise of Lincoln's Town Car has kick-started a limo revolution

The deaths of the Ford Crown Victoria and the Lincoln Town Car have meant overhauls of three high-profile American fleets: police, taxi and livery car. Just as police fleets are more open to considering other options and a Nissan van is the new face of the NYC taxi, livery car companies are looking at replacements for the Town Car beyond The Blue Oval. Ford, via Lincoln, has made an MKT Town Car (pictured), but an article in the Detroit News claims "it has failed to win over most of the big limousine companies." The upstarts trying to move in include livery and limo editions of the Cadillac XTS, and livery specifications of the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300.
Each of those challengers, however, faces challenges. The Town Car was a workhorse, American, rear-wheel-drive sedan with plenty of rear legroom. Cadillac has been in the livery space before but with decontented models that were about selling the brand, not its luxury. It is taking the opposite approach with the XTS, pointing out that its livery edition is "contented in the upper half of the XTS range." Still, the CEO of Michigan's largest livery company says "it's quite a bit smaller than what we're used to," and he also prefers rear-wheel drive.
The Chrysler 300 is rear-wheel drive, and American, which matters to some companies, but Chrysler hasn't yet revealed the livery package for it. The livery Avalon marks Toyota's first time getting into that business in the US, a natural step after having done so well with taxi clients and with the Town Car out of the way. Still, the livery client is a different to taxi buyers, so the Avalon could face other soft-touch hurdles.

Lincoln MKC prototype spied out testing

As was the case with the Lincoln MKZ, it appears that Lincoln isn't wasting any time getting its newest model transformed from concept to production form. We just saw the MKC Concept earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show, and based on these spy shots, it looks like the final touches are being put in place for the 2014 Lincoln MKC crossover.
Sharing its platform with the Ford Escape, we can definitely see some similarities between these two compact crossovers when it comes to the roofline and daylight opening, but through the heavy camouflage, Lincoln's signature split-wing grille can easily be seen and it looks like the concept's taillights will also make it to reality. On the disappointing side, it looks like the integrated exhaust outlets are being ditched for some round outlets, and we can't tell if the production version will keep the Audi-like clamshell rear liftgate.

Lincoln reveals MKC compact crossover ahead of LA debut [w/video]

It used to be that if you wanted a luxury SUV, you had to go big. Just look at the first high-riders released by some of the major luxury automakers - Audi Q7, Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX - and you'll see what we mean. But since 2009 the small premium crossover segment has grown a whopping 200 percent, so it's no surprise that each has followed up with smaller luxury crossovers. And this is the latest.
At the other end of the utility spectrum from the Navigator, the new Lincoln MKC is based on the Ford Escape (much as the old pseudo-premium Mercury Mariner was), but completely rebodied and luxed up to put it in another league. Although we're still not sold on Lincoln's family fascia, the grille treatment on the MKC is certainly one of the better variations on the theme to date. The Dart-like rear lights dominate the wrap-around tailgate, and the overall shape looks taut and upscale. The same can be said of the dynamically-designed interior, taking the concept revealed in Detroit earlier this year to production fairly seamlessly.
Power will come from a choice of EcoBoost four-cylinder engines with turbocharging and direct injection: a 2.0-liter with 240 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, or a slightly punchier new 2.3-liter with 275 hp and 300 lb-ft. Lincoln didn't disclose what transmission they'll be mated to, but did note that the MKC carries the brand's "signature" push-button gear shifter. It comes standard in front drive, but buyers who upgrade to all-wheel drive (or tick the right box) will also benefit from a new adaptive suspension Lincoln calls Continuously Controlled Damping. Other features include an approach-detection system that lights the car up and projects a Lincoln "welcome mat" on the pavement when you get close to the car, and a "bread-crumbing" feature that lets you track where your vehicle has been.