The current word, “limousine”, is believed to have originated in the Limousin region of France. In one way or another, the concept of a chauffeured vehicle has existed since the 1700s. Developed with the rich in mind, they started out as horse-drawn carriages, gilded in gold and dragged only by the best animals. The word limousine is the feminine adjective formed from the word Limoges, which is the province of France that started it all.
The notable feature that differentiates limousines from other vehicles (or in this case from wagons) is that the driver is in a compartment completely separate from his fare. Everyone knows what a sedan is, right? Of course it is. They are three-box cars, often with four doors and two rows of seats. They are practically in the form of the generic and iconic that all cars use to convey the very concept of “car”.
Have you ever wondered why they're called “sedans”? No? Too bad, I'm going to tell you anyway. And I can also tell you where the words “limousine” and “sedan” come from, because why not? Limousines eventually came to refer specifically to the luxurious, generally elongated, versions of sedans, especially in the United States. In particular, airport shuttle services are often referred to as limousine services, although they often use minibuses. The name comes from the resemblance between the carriage driver's cover and the camouflaged hoodies worn by shepherds in the former French province of Limousin.
These cars were so named because the first limousine was designed for the driver to sit outside in a covered compartment that looked like the hood worn by people in the province. One possibility involves a particular type of bonnet or carriage roof that would physically resemble the raised hood of the cape worn by shepherds there. In German-speaking countries, a limousine is simply a sedan, while a car with an extended wheelbase is called a Pullman Limousine. Limousine is a word of French origin, and originally referred to a city in central France called Limoges.
In Arkansas, a coach company called Armbruster created the first elastic limousine they dreamed of and teamed up to go around big whiskey-soaked bands between concerts. Because of the partition behind the driver, Hackney cars are a type of limousine, although they are not usually identified as such in Great Britain. The locals sometimes wore a cape called a limousine, which had a hood that extended over the user's face. A luxury sedan with a very long wheelbase (with more than four doors) driven by a professional driver is called an elastic limousine.