Useful, practical, durable city-cars: obsolete ?
The durable Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Towncar with easy entry back seat are being retired.
Will they be replaced by smaller cars with smaller, painful to access back seats, or with full size SUVs, or with specialty makes like a Checker Marathon Cab or London Taxi ?
"These cars are a facet of people's everyday experience," said David Yassky, the city's taxi commissioner. "Whatever takes their place will have a real and tangible influence on the city's aesthetic."
Passengers should prepare for a bumpier, more cramped ride. Forget roomy trunks that fit a French-door refrigerator; the older models are yielding to smaller gas-and-electric hybrid vehicles with knee-bumping back seats and flimsier frames.
The impending departures have left New York's livery world scrambling. The Taxi and Limousine Commission is holding a contest to design a new taxicab to replace the city's 8,200 Crown Victoria yellow taxis. The Police Department will lose a fast-accelerating sedan it has depended on since 1992. And the black-car industry must replace 75 percent of its fleet.
What's next: Audi A8L, Tahoe Denali XL, or Altima ?
N.Y. / REGION
Two Car Models, New York Emblems, Discontinued
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: June 25, 2010
A decision by Ford Motor Company to drop the Ford Crown Victoria and the Lincoln Town Car will remove a mainstay of New York's executive transportation.