Nissan wins bid to create taxi for New York

Fighting off stiff competition from Ford and Karsan, Nissan's NV200 minibus has been crowned the 'Taxi of Tomorrow' for New York City. The contest aimed to build on the city's century-long taxi heritage and find a purpose-built vehicle that could answer the needs of busy commuters.

Back in 2007, New York City officials created a set of goals for the next generation taxi cab as part of a project called the 'Taxi of Tomorrow'. In December 2009, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission invited manufacturers and designers to submit their ideas for a purpose-built vehicle to serve as a New York City taxicab. At the end of this evaluation, the Nissan NV200 was selected and will take up place as the next New York City taxicab in 2013, for a ten year period.

"Nissan is proud to provide the next generation of taxis for the City of New York," said Carlos Tavares, Nissan Americas Chairman. "The NV200 taxi will give Nissan the opportunity to showcase our dedication to vehicle quality and urban mobility to more than 600,000 passengers every day."

As part of the program, Nissan also will work with the City and taxi owners on a pilot program to study the use of zero-emission, electric vehicles as taxis. Nissan will provide up to six 100-percent electric Nissan LEAFs to taxi owners for testing in 2012 as well as the charging stations to support their use.

"The city's Taxi of Tomorrow is the Nissan NV200 - and it's going to be the safest, most comfortable and most convenient cab the city has ever had," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The NV200 had a substantial input from drivers, owners and passengers, as a result, the mini cab boasts an array of features such as a low-annoyance horn with exterior lights that indicate when the vehicle is honking, helping reduce noise pollution, transparent roof panel that is said to provide unique views of the city and a mobile charging station for passengers that includes a 12V electrical outlet and two USB plugs. These features are in addition to more conventional attributes such as sliding doors with entry step and grab handles to aid easy entry and exit, whilst up front the IP boasts standard driver's navigation and telematics systems.

For more information on the finalists and the competition, check out the Taxi of Tomorrow website below:
Taxi of Tomorrow

By John O'Brien