[[posterous-content:pid___0]]That black chauffeur-driven sedan you see picking up a trio of businesspeople at the airport may soon be a Chrysler or Toyota instead of a Lincoln Town Car.
The face of the livery business is changing this year. Even the Korean automakers want a piece of the action.
Lincoln has dominated the small, though high-profile, "black-car" sedan segment over the past two decades. The brand has controlled about three-quarters of sales to livery operators and coachbuilders, mainly with the Town Car, industry sources say.
But with the big, rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered sedan gone from Lincoln's lineup -- replaced with a re-engineered MKT crossover -- other luxury brands see opportunities. Meanwhile, Chrysler, Hyundai and Toyota are jumping in with lower-priced sedans.
Executives at the three new competitors say livery operators prefer sedans to crossovers. And they point out that their sedans cost about $10,000 less than the Town Car's livery replacement.Automobile News
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