The Future of the Funeral coach in North America

Mike Boyer

Mike Boyer

I have been wondering about this for awhile now and after reading the thread about a larger Cadillac in the future ( maybe) It got me thinking about what is the future of the Funeral Coach in North America ?

I'm no expert by any means on this subject, but i would think that with the increase of cremations every year, the large single purpose car based hearse is going by the way side ?

I'm not sure if you can get a casket in a SUV ( Escadade) or a Mini Van but for cremations would a high end mini van or a SUV with landau bars do ?...........is the public or even Funeral directors ready for such a move ??
like we have said many times before just how many people look at the Hearse at the service ?

I think its a bit different across the "pond" they have Mercedes, BMW, Bentley even Rolls Royce we really only have one left ...Cadillac and look where that is going ???

How many FH now use a Mini van for first calls ? how many FH have a Flower Car ? How many FH have a brand new 2013 Traditional Hease ?

I'm not sure on the ratio on a traditional funeral service verses a Cremation service but I would think it pretty close ?

Does anyone see in the near future where we are going to see the traditional car based hearse disappear and be replaced with Mini vans and Escalades.

What do you think ???
 
i think it ripe for the taking. some one wants to start building a large car that can be used for police, taxi and Hearses would have the corner of the market. just who does own the Checker stuff anyway. now there is a car to bring back
 
In my opinion, the downfall of the hearse started in 1977 when GM downsized all their luxury cars. I remember being embarrassed (really) when we went from a 1976 to a 1981 model. Even though we no longer used our hearse for ambulance, we still looked for all that room that we had been so accustomed to. Also, the "flash" and fancy was gone from the newer cars. There was much less chrome, plastic instead of metal trim and wood and style. Auto makers were forced to make their cars lighter in order to obtain better gas mileage thus cheapening and/or removing the quality we once were used to. If you look at some of the older cars from the late 50's and the 60's, you almost have to wear sunglasses from the glare of the chrome and the shine of the lacquer paint that was hand rubbed. The coach I have now is an 02 Masterpiece. Compared to the 62 that was here when I first came to work it would be the equivilent of a Ford Falcon wagon with less chrome than the Falcon. As for an upper end mini van replacing the actual hearse? I suppose anything is possible. I still make all removals in my hearse. That is a tradition I do not wish to break.
 
Mike Weirauch said:
In my opinion, the downfall of the hearse started in 1977 when GM downsized all their luxury cars. I remember being embarrassed (really) when we went from a 1976 to a 1981 model. Even though we no longer used our hearse for ambulance, we still looked for all that room that we had been so accustomed to. Also, the "flash" and fancy was gone from the newer cars. I still make all removals in my hearse. That is a tradition I do not wish to break.
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I think your right Mike 1977 was the start of the decline..... but what does the future hold ??? thats the scary part ?

But I'm really glad to hear that you still use the hearse for removals.....when my dad died at home a couple of years ago it was really hard to see him taken away in a mini-van !! but I do understand why some FH use mini-vans.
 
I own a 1978 Superior Cadillac Transport Ambulance, and I can say that it is just as long as its predecessors, however, it is narrower than its predecessors. It rides just as well as any 1960's or 1970's full sized Cadillac commercial chassis cars prior to the downsizing. 1977 was the start of the downsizing, however, had they just kept that size, I doubt that we would be having this discussion today. Unfortunately, the industry kept making the cars smaller, and also changed the drive trains to obtained higher fuel mileage. All these factors contributed to the demise of the funeral coach as we knew it in the past. Another factor is that automobile designers of today have lost the art of design, and every car seems to look very much like the cars of its competitors. At one time you could tell a car brand with a casual look, however, today, you need to study the lines of the car to even take a guess as to who the manufacturer is. Even this guess is often wrong. Almost all marques have lost their individual identity. I call them all "cookie cutter" automobiles...
 
the 89 Collens 6 door we had would do a easy 18 down the road. carburetor and over drive transmission. the excuse was mileage but I know if you put the 6 speed 5.3 computer controlled engine in that car it would have made in the mid to high 20 easily. same as the people with the 5.7 lt1 are getting with only a OD. they built a cheaper car not a better one. just like the brag of 40 with there hybraid. GEO Metro with a stick would crack 50 all day long and was the same size car. put the auto and AC on it you dropped down to 45. it was not fuel injected either. 2000 full size park avenue with the 3.8 would do 32 with 6 fat ladies going to a DAV convention. they had decent mileage with there full size cars. it just cheaper to crank out the turds tapered at both ends. and as long as we keep buying them they are happy
 
Current cost?

One factor has got to be the cost of a new or nice used coach. Can you LFD types update me on the cost of a new coach????? The home I worked for has always used black full size Ford vans; panel van or dark tinted side windows.
Kev
 
no big cars........

In response to Ed's comment about the Checker Motorcars........The guys in the late 90's [ex-GM execs] that wanted to buy all the Chev Caprice tooling off of GM and build RWD Caprices in Mexico for fleet use could never get past all the USA red tape/reguations. I thought it was a great idea though. Build fleet cars for police, taxi, military, build them all the same and build them cheap. The police car market is only about 60K cars a year but throw in a few taxis, etc and somebody has got to be able to make a little money building fleet cars. Carbon Motors was a very bad idea from the start and they are bankrupt now, they cleaned out their building last month.
 
I really don't think it has anything to do with the cars. Any manufacturer will address a given market with an appropriate product. With a funeral coach there is a break even point in the design and manufacturing, and that number is now below a profitable level.

You touched on the reason already. Cremations are now a majority of services in a lot of markets. Full service funerals with an internment at a cemetery are less and less frequent, the biggest reason for the coach is declining.

I was involved with another part of the industry, the monument business in Elberton GA, and had relatives in that business since the 1950's. When I worked there in the middle 70's the decline had started, and now it is a shell of it's former glory. The number of quarries and finishing sheds in that area is a fraction of what it was.

Cultural changes are responsible for these trends. Check the numbers of a Hillenbrand Industries, the largest supplier of caskets in the country. I'll bet their numbers are in a slow decline also. But they are smart, they are also the largest supplier of hospital beds in the country.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
the 89 Collens 6 door we had would do a easy 18 down the road. carburetor and over drive transmission. the excuse was mileage but I know if you put the 6 speed 5.3 computer controlled engine in that car it would have made in the mid to high 20 easily. same as the people with the 5.7 lt1 are getting with only a OD. they built a cheaper car not a better one. just like the brag of 40 with there hybraid. GEO Metro with a stick would crack 50 all day long and was the same size car. put the auto and AC on it you dropped down to 45. it was not fuel injected either. 2000 full size park avenue with the 3.8 would do 32 with 6 fat ladies going to a DAV convention. they had decent mileage with there full size cars. it just cheaper to crank out the turds tapered at both ends. and as long as we keep buying them they are happy
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Gotta give it to Ed, he'll tell it like it is. I'm reasonably certain the crack about "6 fat ladies going to a DAV convention" offended somebody!!! Keep up the good work my friend!!!
 
a simple statement facts was not intended to offend anyone. one of those fat ladies was my mother after all. the truth as I see it is government standards the cars met the fuel requirements of there day. then in ten years they were to do so much better so it was turn the screws till by 2005 the smaller but still the biggest Buick car the Le Saber with the 3800 would only do 25 at best. the 07 Lacrosse with the 2900 was the same. now by magic the "Full" size Buick is getting over 30 mpg on 10% one wonders what it could do if you could put gas of at least 87 octane in it like you did in 2000. but I will say it's nice to see the fat ladies slim down even though you can't find a car that will seat 6 of them.
 
I think we're at another crossroads of the future of the funeral car, much as we were in the late 70s with the initial downsizing. There's no really suitable Cadillac or Lincoln now from which to build a hearse. The dealer I purchased my first car from ('64 M-M combo) saw his sales plummet after the introduction of the smaller '77s. His territory was so small (South Carolina) he gave up the funeral car part of his business and concentrated on his bus business, which has flourished. He predicted then that sometime soon builders would put curtains and a vinyl top on a station wagon and say "there's your hearse." Thankfully that didn't happen but other changes in the industry have made the hearse something used less frequently. The volume of the professional car market is so small now that the recession really threw the industry into upheaval. Federal's purchase of Eagle, new owners of Accubilt w/ rumors of no coach builder cars in their yard or even workers in the factory at times certainly raises the possibility of the collapse of some of these companies. But, a hearse is a ceremonial vehicle, the funeral industry is very profitable, and though cremations are on the rise there are still plenty of traditional services that will demand some sort of appropriate vehicle. Most funeral directors are conservative folks who realize the value of a dignified, meaningful service for the deceased. Though the form of such services is more varied nowadays, I think they will continue to demand and purchase a vehicle to help convey respect for the dead. If the economy holds out, GM's plans to shift production of the next generation of the Holden rwd platform (i.e. Pontiac G8, Caprice PPV, Chevrolet SS) to the US will occur. The automotive press has noted GM's been careful not to refer to the XTS as Cadillac's flagship. Supposedly that title will be reserved for a rwd sedan based on that next Holden platform. Cadillac sees such a sedan as competing with the big Audis, BMWs, Mercedes, and Jaguars. That should make a much better platform for hearses and limos than the current, horrible looking offerings. Hopefully the coachbuilders will come up w/ some good designs, including commercial glass offerings. You have to believe they're planning for this, as the new platform is planned as a 2015 model I think. I'm taking heart that there might be some good looking cars coming from this, Mike, which would be a new chapter in hearse styling, sort of like what we saw w/ the new style '93 rwd Caddys. You think Ford is watching?
 
recycle

the escalade and suburban are going away. minivans hold no class. ford vans going bye bye too. dodge already gone. chevy too. wont be any full size vans except sprinters and rebadged freightliners. what to do? like i said before, buy older coaches and make them as close to new as you can. was privy to a conversation between funeral home owners a while back and this was a hot topic. these fellas are above my paygrade as far as having their thumb on whats happening in the future and their consensus was cadillac will be bringing out there new rear drive car in 2014 as a 2015. they seen no other choice except the ugly ducklings being made now. both of them are atrocious in my humble view but hey i like old stuff and the classic lines of a contemporary coach. but maybe we will be forced to comply with the new world order and submit. look into my eyes. you are getting very sleepy, now follow the watch and comply, comply, comply....everyone will like it as that is all we say you need...comply...
 
I hope your not right BUT I think you are .... I think most FH will take what is offered at the time. I also hope more and more FH will start to restore older Coaches, but to be honest I can't see that happening, most FH are already using Minivans for removal's slap on some chrome, landau bars, a roller rack, a new rear interior, white walls and there is your new inexpensive Hearse......GOD I HOPE NOT ?
 
I was at a antique show today and happened to be wearing a hearse shirt.

A vendor mentioned the shirt and said he worked for Ford in Oakville ON where the Lincoln's were being built and sent off to become hearses.
WAY BETTER THAN MINI VANS I GUESS ! :thumbsup:

Paul is right about all the cars looking the same these days.
Too bad on so many levels ! :thumbsdown:

Oh well, the only thing constant in the automobile world... is change !!!

Get use to it folks,
Darren
 
Maybe we will start seeing more Linclon Hearses then Cadillac Hearses on the road in the future ?? Like Darren said .way better then a Minivan !
 
Cutural shifts in funeral service have had a deep impact on the demand for new funeral coaches but so too have prices. As ugly as they are, new funeral coaches are now priced at well over $100,000. And, they haven't been selling many. Sales/production volumes have plummeted significantly and there are numerous reasons for this market contraction. There is no one right answer to why volumes have decreased but, a number of things have contributed to the problem.
There was a time when Cadillac, as the prime supplier to the coachbuilders, worked with the various manufacturers and supplied them with what they needed. As an example, in 1961 they redesigned the rear bumper ends for the commercial chassis to allow a full door opening and, in 1965, worked with the coachmakers in the introduction of the commercial cowl that incorporated the higher, wider commercial windshield. The professional car industry had a close working relationship with Cadillac. However, there was some volume there for Cadillac. In 1961 the professional vehicle producers bought 2,331 chassis from Cadillac and in 1965 - 2,961. Today, with annual volume reportedly less than 1,000 units, there's no great incentive on the part of the car manufacturers (Cadillac or Lincoln) to go to great pains to satisfy the small industry demand. These days, the tail wags the dog - the "chassis" manufacturers are producing a platform for the coachbuilders, telling them what the can and can not do with them and basically telling them to take it of leave it. They are dictating how long the extension can be, outlawing commercial glass, and even refusing to supply cars with different color interior trim. "This is what we'll offer, take it of leave it. You're lucky to get anything" seems to be their attitude today. I guess it boils down to simple economics. Volume has decreased substantially to the point where the car makers see themselves as doing the coachbuilders a favor even supplying them with what they do and don't want any complications in doing so. It's a sad truth that diminishing returns have led to the current state of the industry and one has to wonder if there is really enough volume out there today to support four major nameplates and the costs associated with engireering, styling, building and marketing them. I've said this before and will once again sadly predict the demise of one of the firms currently in the business - most likely to go - Accubuilt and the Superior and S&S brands.
 
when all the brands were owned by the same company and built in the same building you lost computation. as soon as you loose computation the product goes down the tube. the three builders now as I understand it. federal ,Eagle and Accubuilt with Accubuilt driving the market really don't compete with each other for value in the market. they just crank out there cookie cutters with the same take it or leave it attitude the prevails in all of the industry today. just you try to go buy a new GM car from a dealer in there take it of leave it this is all the choices you get market. to big to fail is to big to keep. time these to big to service the customer places went belly up and some mom and pop places jumped in to fill the void. then the quality will come back. the funeral industry may be the crack in the dam. they are saying your not offering me what I want I'll keep what I have. sounds great but the reality is all the mom and pops are being bought up by big cooperation who are profit driven and don't care to spend money. this is what we offer take it or leave it is there motto also
 
Kyle Martin said:
the escalade and suburban are going away. minivans hold no class. ford vans going bye bye too. dodge already gone. chevy too. wont be any full size vans except sprinters and rebadged freightliners. what to do? like i said before, buy older coaches and make them as close to new as you can. was privy to a conversation between funeral home owners a while back and this was a hot topic. these fellas are above my paygrade as far as having their thumb on whats happening in the future and their consensus was cadillac will be bringing out there new rear drive car in 2014 as a 2015. they seen no other choice except the ugly ducklings being made now. both of them are atrocious in my humble view but hey i like old stuff and the classic lines of a contemporary coach. but maybe we will be forced to comply with the new world order and submit. look into my eyes. you are getting very sleepy, now follow the watch and comply, comply, comply....everyone will like it as that is all we say you need...comply...
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Friday I went to trade my Escalade in on a new one The Cadillac dealer told me the new body is due out in September. so I don't think we will see the GM SUVs going away any time soon. They will probably be more streamline when the new ones come out.
 
Echoing what Keith S. and Ed R. said the sad truth is choices ARE limited in the new vehicle market these days. It's true that the technological advances have made cars more reliable and require less maintenance. Once upon a time a 100k mile car was thought to be worn out, but we all know that many vehicles if properly cared for will go at least twice that far w/ relatively little trouble. On the other hand, if you go shopping for most any popular car or truck you have a very limited choice of exterior and interior colors. This really bugs me since up to the 70s and even 80s there was a wide color selection. Now you can have any color interior you want as long as it's black, tan, or gray! To get more choices you have to get into the high dollar stuff. Also someone decided along the way that leather was what everyone wanted for "luxury" models. Down here in the old textile belt there are plenty of engineers and chemists who used to do a lot of work developing beautiful automotive fabrics. My '83 Fleetwood factory limo has beautiful (and comfy!) velour upholstery. Seems like this reduction in choice was driven by corporate bean counters. Heavens it would cost MORE to offer 6 or 8 interior colors and several fabrics?! It becomes a case of monkey see, monkey do, so now all the makers have this same limited choice. So being responsive to the customer only applies in certain categories. I'm still hopeful that the funeral industry will continue to demand well styled and engineered vehicles. The potential is there to have some really good designs that would be future classics. If demand was there Ford would probably want to jump in w/ a rwd Lincoln offering to compete w/ the big Caddy. Yeah, some folks think a Masterpiece is junk compared w/ our old favorites, but don't you think at a PCS meet 40 years from now folks will be oogling over a Masterpiece nearly as much as a pristine '64 Victoria or Crown Royale? It's been really gratifying to have someone occasionally note what beautifully styled vehicles our cars are. I bet many of us have experienced this. Not long after I got my '65 Sovereign in 1990 a guy about my age came up as I was filling up one day and said "thank you for preserving that, that's a beautiful vehicle!" Comments like that really make you purr, huh?:D
 
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