The development of the limousine industry in the US

A long time back, the shepherds in a French province developed protective cloaks to protect themselves from rain and storms. In 1902, a car was developed, which had a similar-looking hooded compartment for the passengers to protect them from the elements. The driver of the car used to sit separately in the front. Because of its resemblance with the provincial garment, the car was named after that province. The name of this place is Limousin and the car, which went on to become one of the most famous vehicles in the history of the automobile industry, was named after it.

The first limos were any car with an enclosed passenger compartment and the driver acting as the chauffeur. The stretch limos were developed in Arkansas in 1928 by a coach building company Armbruster, as an answer to the highly popular and affordable Model T cars by Henry Ford. The stretch limo was an invention to differentiate it from the ordinary motorcars, to add the ‘X factor’ to it, in order to lure in the wealthier clients who wanted to set themselves apart from the masses.

California, the home of Hollywood, soon got caught up in the limo fever like all other US states. The people in the film industry in Hollywood were quick to realize the potential of a stretch limo to conveniently carry film sets, make-up crew and many other items. The actors were only too happy to be carried in a limo as when they stepped upon the red carpet from the back seat of a stylish limo, it immediately increased their glamour quotient. The music bands led by Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman started using stretch limos to carry their band members and equipments. In other words, limos became a status symbol for all wealthy and glamorous people in the US.

Some American entrepreneurs saw in this trend, a golden opportunity to cash in the roaring popularity of the car by renting them to common people in cities like New York and Los Angeles. It proved a huge success as limousines provided people with comfort and novelty, not to mention the electrifying sense of superiority as they step down a beautiful limo to encounter dropped jaws and envious gazes of bystanders. It proved to be equally popular with businessmen who liked the privacy of the separate passenger compartment. The limo industry, which encompasses the manufacturers, the coachbuilders, car sellers and the rental services, have never looked back.