New York Limo Makeover
The Lincoln Towncar has never been known for it’s greenness, it has been a quasi luxury vehicle of choice for limo drivers for years despite only being a leathered version of the Ford Crown Vic. The primary advantage to limo owners is that it was very cheap in comparison with true luxury vehicles and it was easy to maintain. However it’s time is over.
New York’s black suite of limousines, mostly Lincoln Town Cars are set to go green by 2010 according to a new plan by mayor Michael Bloomberg:
Under the plan, the entire fleet of roughly 10,000 limousines, mostly black, that are used by businesses ranging from Lehman Brothers to Condé Nast, would be required to meet fuel-efficiency standards, attainable only with hybrid vehicles, of 25 miles a gallon in 2009 and 30 miles a gallon in 2010.
The big challenge with this is to still provide a level of luxury and space (including the big trunk space) that ex Bear Sterns employees are used to whilst traveling to the unemployment office.
The taxis and limo commission has picked up on a couple of choices being used in the main cab fleet:
the TLC have identified several efficient vehicle models that will have widespread acceptance, including: Toyota Camry Hybrid, 33mpg (city); Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 27mpg (city); Nissan Altima Hybrid, 35 mpg (city); and Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD, 34 mpg (city) ….Lexus Rx400h AWD, Ford Escape Hybrid AWD, and Toyota Prius
Although these cars can meet the standard, a side from the Lexus they are not cars that you will see Donald Trump or his troupe of Miss Americas in. The question is then, is there a true luxury vehicle that meets these standards for New York?.
The problem is in North America there is no vehicle in the luxury car segment that comes even close. The Mercedes Benz E 320 Diesel weights in at 23mpg in the city, not even close. To get a car that meets both the luxury specification, space and mileage requirements we need to go to Europe where there are two vehicles that meet all the requirements and Donald and Marla can feel happy with:
Note: US 30 Mpg = 7.84 L/100Km = 12.7 Km per litre = 36 Imperial MPG
BMW 520d SE
This car has some really amazing fuel consumption figures. It is a 2.0 4 cylinder diesel engine that achieves 43.5 imperial MPG urban (city) or 35MPG US. The 525d came close but fell short of the mark. Of course there are some 3 series that also met the requirement, but they are too small.
Mercedes Benz E220 CDI
The Mercedes Benz E220 CDI squeaks under the wire with a 31MPG (US) however it is not available in the USA, only in Europe. Just like the 3 series BMW, there are C series that get over the bar but are too small for a comfortable ride in the back.
Of course diesels have a similar CO2 footprint to petroleum when compared to Hybrid vehicles. This is especially true if the car idles for long periods of time such as limos or cabs, hence the argument that hybrids make better sense carbon wise in New York’s cabs and limos. However the rule is City MPG not CO2 emissions so both of these cars will meet the requirement and provide a level of luxury for the Trumpetes of this world. Both of these vehicles are common in Government executive vehicle fleets (including New Zealand which just chose the 530d for it’s executive fleet).
As Europe keeps pushing up both it’s CO2 and MPG requirements you are going to see more luxury vehicles fall into this category including the long awaited Diesel Hybrid vehicles.
We don't use the nofollow tag out of principle, you are welcome to comment, but please respect it or it could disappear. If you want to understand what this means please read my 
new zealand
flight of the conchords
Peter Jackson
Kiwi
Kiwifruit
Moblog
Travel and Places
Great Article,
Ths will definitely help in improving the fuel efficiency of a lot of limos.Moreover
“Greener the Better”
.-= Aniruddh´s last blog ..Toronto Airport Limousine Toronto Airport Limo Toronto Airport Taxi Buffalo Airport Limousine Service =-.
Interesting article, theres no doubt that the future lies with hybrid cars, it’s just a matter of time before the big companies start designing something decent.
Hybrid is definitely the wave of the future for limousines and all vehicles. They will help our environment by eliminating unnecessary pollution.
Very interesting article. As someone in the Limo business it’s important for me to stay on top of this sort of stuff.
In terms of sedans I like the path that the Volt is going down. Once this makes it into an executive sort of option I might get one or two.
The Lincolns are a much cheaper model … and they actually cost around $70 an hour to hire compared with the $130 that you get charged for a Mercedes town car! I wonder if hydrogen fuel cells would have potential for the Lincoln fleet, though? There are plenty of home users doing it, surely big businesses like Conde Nast can work out some modifications and save all of that vehicle waste.
OOo man this car is amazing. BMW should get low budget cars for India as we love BMW its awesome. Hope to visit again.
I enjoyed reading this post about New York Limo Makeover. Really interesting. I will come back to visit this blog again.
your info is gelat
.-= pilat´s last blog ..Bila Akun Blogger dan Gmail Dinonaktifkan =-.
I enjoyed reading this post. You know a lot about New York Limo Makeover. Thanks for these great insights.
My dream car is the Porsche 911 or the new Nissan GTR. those cars are really great.”.
Really interesting publish..Iam very much enjoyed through reading your..this article offers provided the good info..Thanks for the actual info provided..
Wow! its been almost a decade since my prom but I still remember the last time I used a limousine service in Dallas and to this day I still havent forgot! The awesome music, friends and my hott date who is still my girlfriend to this day!
For a classy service intended for a classy interest, a limousine will be appropriate
WOW!!! Very interesting info. My dream car is Mercedes Benz. Great photos. Thanks.
Enna@Acne´s last [type] ..Cure Acne
Excellent!! Very interesting info about Mercedes. It has maintained a reputation for its quality and durability. It luxurious car. Good photos.
Claire@Anti Aging´s last [type] ..Anti Wrinkle Skin Cream