The majority are owned by governments to moveimportant dignitaries as well as senior politicians to events in these limousines or owned by largecorporations to convey executives or even by broadcasting companies totransport their guests.

There are also many limousines thatoperate as livery vehicle in upmarket segments and are in directcompetition with taxicabs. The term limousine owes its origins to thename of the French region Limousine where the people living there usedto wear hoods that were like the profile of a car.

There are many types of limousines and typically it has a partitionbetween the driver compartment and the back passenger compartment.There is usually a sliding glass window to ensure that privateconversations amongst passengers are not overheard by the chauffeur.The different types of limousine are traditional, stretch, stage, aswell as exotic custom limousines and the party bus. The traditionalversion was really an extension of the sedan having a longer wheelbaseas well as a frame to allow the rear passenger compartment to have theforward facing passenger seat but with much more leg room. Behind thedriver are two jump seats facing backward.

The stretchlimousine is extended in length much more than is required for personaluse and is normally used to convey party-goers to and from dances aswell as weddings. The stage version though not considered as being atrue limousine has its design somewhere between a sedan and a bus andhas multiple doors and is derived from the Chrysler New Yorker and theCadillac DeVille as also the station wagons. It also sometimes haslarge racks on the roof to carry passenger baggage. The modern versionof the stage limo can be evidenced in the novelty stretch Hummer orHummer H2 vehicles and they are also used in some funeral homes tocarry families of the deceased.

The exotic custom limousine isthe ultimate in stretch limousines that has amenities that may beimpractical but are a significant design statement. A notable designfeature of this type of vehicle is the double rear axles that supportthe weight of an operational hot tub. The party bus is able to carry 16to 35 passengers and may offer leather couch seating and plenty ofother electronics and is primarily used though not limited to carryingpassengers to proms, weddings and bachelor parties.