--- title: Stretch limos are going, going, going, gone - The Hustle description: “The bigger the better” has given way to “the longer the wronger.” image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1148550903-final_size-limo_20230504005308.webp --- # Stretch limos are going, going, going, gone ![Ben Berkley](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Ben Berkley](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/ben-berkley) Published: May 04, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Welcome to our eulogy for the stretch limousine. (Dims lights, cues “The Long and Winding Road.”) ![limo](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1148550903-final_size-limo_20230504005308.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1148550903-final_size-limo_20230504005308.webp) Once the ultimate status symbol — even if just for a one-night rental — society has evolved beyond the stretch limo. The National Limousine Association says they comprise less than 1% of limo company services today, down from 10% a decade ago. #### **RIP, but why?** There are a few culprits for the stretch limo’s demise, [per](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/business/limo-service-decline.html) *The New York Times*: - The Great Recession rocked the primary client base and changed their spending habits. - Coming out of the recession, affordable chauffeur services expanded in the form of Uber and Lyft. - Two prominent deadly crashes, in 2015 and 2018, soured public opinion and led to stiffer regulations. To that, we’ll add: the internet happened. - Attention was at a greater premium pre-social media and the limo was a reliable eyeball magnet — when one pulled up, most passersby craned their necks to see who was inside. - Now adulation is available on demand — and not at the cost of easily navigating cities. Enter the inconspicuous black SUV, the new standard in luxury transport. #### **Limos’ future as a novelty act** It’ll be interesting to see how stretch limos fare with Gen Z. For a generation that runs on [surprise](https://youthsense.com.au/youth-insights/why-gen-z-humour-is-so-weird-and-unhinged/), they may be too cliche. - Kids in Portland, Oregon, set a [new standard](https://lacamasmagazine.com/2023/04/students-arrive-at-2023-camas-prom-in-world-war-ii-era-tank.html) last weekend, arriving at prom in a rented World War II tank. But even if there’s just one prominent limo left in the end, it’ll be a badass one — US presidential limo “The Beast” isn’t going anywhere. **BTW:** It’d be hard to de-stretch The Beast, a veritable Bond car full of weaponry and gadgetry, which requires space for a fridge carrying a supply of the sitting president’s blood type. [Yes, really](https://spyscape.com/article/7-top-secrets-about-the-beast-presidential-limo). 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