Dav El Replaces Lincoln Towncar With Cadillac Sedan

<B> Dav El Replaces Lincoln Towncar With Cadillac Sedan</B>

By Lynn Woods

The Lincoln Towncar's decade-long monopoly of the limo and sedan market is about to be broken. Chelsea, Mass.-based Dav El Chauffered Transportation Network, the number-two player in the limo and sedan industry, has announced a partnership with General Motors that will entail the replacement of its Lincoln Towncar fleet with Cadillacs during the next three years.

The first Cadillac Sedan de Villes will be introduced this month at Dav El's New York and Los Angeles locations. When fully implemented, Dav El's fleet of Cadillacs will amount to about 6,000 limos and sedans in both the U.S. and overseas Dav El locations. The Cadillac Escalade will replace Dav El's Ford Navigators. "We've been a Ford customer for 35 years, but they've made a lot of missteps with the new Lincoln Towncar" sedan--a more streamlined version of the model introduced last year--said Dav El president Scott Solombrino.

Solombrino said the smaller dimensions of the car make it more difficult for passengers to get into the vehicle and also provides less space in the trunk for luggage. Dav El competitor Carey International got around the problem by having its Lincoln sedans stretched an extra six inches. Another selling point is the inclusion of On-Star, GM's emergency road and concierge service, in each vehicle. With the push of a button on the car's ceiling, the driver can be connected to a 24-hour staffed service center that instantly sends help in the event of an accident or breakdown.

For Cadillac, the deal with Dav El signals an important comeback. Once plagued with front-wheel drive problems, underperforming engines and an excess weight that precluded having the car configured into stretches, Cadillac has reinvented itself. The new sedan has been under development for three years, noted a GM executive.

An executive from another limo and sedan firm said he had made an appointment to see Cadillac. "Lincoln has gotten arrogant," he said. "The interest rates have gone up, and there are charges for things that used to be free.