In NYC's cab contest, vans aim to be seen

Nissan North America Inc., Ford Motor Co. and a little-known Turkish vehicle manufacturer are in a three-way competition to supply the next generation of taxis to New York City.

The winner will snare a large fleet deal: more than 13,000 vehicles delivered over the next three to five years, with a 10-year exclusive agreement from the city. The current taxi fleet is supplied by nine manufacturers.

But Al Castignetti, Nissan Division vice president, says the opportunity represents something much bigger than the added sales.

"It's a great marketing opportunity," he says.

"In raw sales numbers, is it a big volume? No. But in impressions, it's unlimited.

"When you're talking about a city with that many visitors every year getting in and of a Nissan, you're going to make tremendous impressions on people. It exposes people to Nissan who might never have been in a Nissan before."

Nissan is proposing to use its compact NV200 commercial van in New York, while Ford is offering its compact Transit Connect van.

Both Ford and Nissan have announced their intentions to market battery-powered electric versions of those small vans. But the three vehicles now being considered by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Com-mission are all internal combustion models.

The third competitor for the bid is Karsan Otomotiv Sanayii Ve Ticaret AS, an independent Turkish producer of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and models built for other automakers.

New York expects to select the winning vehicle by the end of this year.

By Lindsay Chappell- Automotive News