WHO IS THE COACHBUILDER? ARE THEY QVM OR CMC APPROVED?
Some coachbuilders are better than others. All limos begin life as a normal sized, factory built vehicle. Vehicles approved for conversion into limousines by the original manufacturer are; Lincoln Town Car, Lincoln Navigator, Ford Excursion, and Cadillac DeVille. The chassis is bought by a coachbuilder, who then converts it into a limousine. The vehicle is stripped and literally cut in half by the coachbuilder, and the components are then added that transform the original vehicle into a “stretch” limousine. With a project of this size and type, concerns for safety, product reliability, and the competence of the coachbuilder are naturally an issue. There are many coachbuilders, and it is important that the coachbuilder is qualified to perform this type of conversion. Ford has implemented a certification program called QVM to address this issue. GM has its own version of this program called CMC.
