2005 Chrysler Town & Country-touring Mini Van on 2040-cars

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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.

Junkyard Gem: 1977 Chrysler Cordoba with Corinthian Leather

The Chrysler Cordoba has become emblematic of an era full of underpowered, overdecorated Detroit land yachts, stuffed with plasticky heraldic crests and allusions to classy European vacation destinations. In fact, the 1975-1979 Cordoba was a pretty decent car by the standards of Malaise Era America, based on the same well-proven (if increasingly antiquated) platform used by the '69 Charger and the Plymouth Superbird, and it sold like crazy. Of course, what we remember these days is the name of the optional leather upholstery used in the Cordoba. Yes, soft ( not rich) Corinthian leather, which was a brilliant marketing name given to a cheap grade of leather from Newark, NJ. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Naturally, we must now watch the 1975 TV commercial that started it all. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Corinthian Leather jokes began quite soon after the Cordoba went on sale, as we can see in this 1980s Ricardo Montalban interview. This car, which I photographed a couple of weeks ago in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service wrecking yard is completely used up, and it shows signs of having spent a good decade or two abandoned in a field somewhere. Still, from the purple paint to the once-snazzy "leather" landau roof (note the molded-in stitches) to the "golden" (plastic, in fact) Cordoba medallions on the taillights, door panels, and steering wheel, the Cordoba was the closest thing to the "Super Fly" Cadillac you could buy new from Detroit. This one has the LA-series 360-cubic-inch V8 engine, which made 155 horsepower. That's 23 fewer horses than the weakest engine you can get in the US-market 2017 Toyota Camry... but try getting a Camry with soft Corinthian Leather! Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1977 Chrysler Cordoba View 32 Photos Auto News Chrysler Automotive History question of the day malaise era chrysler cordoba

GM, Ford and FCA expected to extend coronavirus shutdown into April

U.S. automakers General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler are expected to extend their current shutdown in North America into the month of April as the fight to slow the spread of the coronavirus continues. At this point, the exact dates that Detroit's Big Three automakers will restart vehicle production remains up in the air. Ford said in a statement that it does not plan to restart production until at least April 6 but warned it could be further delayed into April. United Auto Workers President Rory Gamble sent a letter to union members saying that FCA had "no plans to reopen on March 30." GM has yet to confirm its plans — its last statement said the decision when to reopen "will be reevaluated week-to-week after" March 30 — but unnamed sources told Reuters that it will also comply with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's order barring non-essential businesses from operating until April 13. Gamble's letter said the union is "waiting to hear from GM and are demanding that they put our membersÂ’ safety first and adhere to government and health officialsÂ’ recommendations to stay-at-home." A spokeswoman for Whitmer was unable to clarify on Tuesday whether auto production is considered essential or not. Michigan has declared vehicle sales by auto dealers to be impermissible under the order, but dealerships and other facilities can make repairs.  The UAW also said two Fiat Chrysler union members — one in Indiana and one in Michigan — have died after contracting the coronavirus. A group representing major U.S. and foreign automakers warned in a letter to U.S. lawmakers with other industry groups on Monday that, "Auto industry analysts are expecting sales to be down by as much as 40 percent in March compared to 2019." The letter said 95% of North American auto plants are currently closed. Reuters contributed to this report. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Fiat Ford GM coronavirus