The Taxi of Tomorrow looks like an appliance, gets 25 mpg and features antimicrobial nonstick upholstery that resembles leather.
Love it or hate it, the streets of New York will be awash in these things within a decade. Nissan has won an exclusive 10-year contract to provide taxis to the City That Never Sleeps, a deal said to be worth more than $1 billion. That's billion with a "b," and if it seems like a lot of dough remember that there are 13,200 cabs roaming the streets of Gotham.
The boxy Nissan NV200, a light-duty van sold in Asia and Europe, was among three finalists in the city's "Taxi of Tomorrow" competition, a two-year campaign to find a cleaner, greener iconic cab to replace the venerable Ford Crown Victoria.
“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,” Hizzoner Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. “We started this process to leverage our taxi industry’s purchasing power to get the highest quality taxi, one that that can expand and redefine the legendary image of New York City taxicabs."
Whether a minivan will be good or bad for the legendary image of New York City taxicabs remains to be seen, but there was nothing else to choose from.
The NV200 beat the similarly boxy Ford Transit Connect and the Karsan, a van from Turkey. The Nissan drew high marks among 23,000 people polled on the subject, even if it drew complaints that it isn't wheelchair accessible. The Nissan reportedly is also praised for its durability and legroom, two key considerations for a fleet that carries 240 million people annually.
“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.”
Although the NV200 doesn't look nearly so cool as the Checker Marathon or nearly as tough as the Crown Vic, city officials said it is roomier and far more fuel-efficient. The Vic, which makes up roughly 90 percent of the fleet, gets about 12 mpg.
Nissan says the van will feature a slew of features that make it perfect for life in the city. They include "attractive, breathable, antimicrobial, environmentally friendly and easy-to-clean seat fabric that simulates the look and feel of leather" and -- cue trumpet fanfare -- "a grape phenol-coated air filter to improve cabin air quality." It's also got sliding doors for easier access.
Other passenger amenities include a 12-volt outlet and not one but two USB plugs for charging gadgets, a transparent roof (with shade) for sightseeing and "ample room for four passengers." Drivers get a little love too, with a six-way adjustable seat, a navigation system and telematics. Everyone else will like the fact the NV200 has what Nissan calls "a low-annoyance horn," whatever that is.
The mayor says the NV200 will be the roomiest cab the city's ever had. More importantly, it will feature front and side curtain airbags and it will be the first taxicab to undergo federal crash testing with its partition and other cab-specific equipment installed.
Although the taxi will use a 2.0-liter gasoline engine, Nissan says an electric drivetrain could be installed on the same platform beginning in 2017. The automaker also will deploy six Nissan Leaf electric vehicles in the fleet at no cost to the city.
Roughly 3,000 cabs are replaced each year, and the first Taxis of Tomorrow are expected to hit the streets of New York in 2013. They'll be built in Mexico and cost about $29,000 a pop with all the taxi gear installed.
“For the first time, we’ll have a taxicab that wasn’t ‘off the rack’, but rather custom-tailored to create the best fit for the drivers, owners and passengers of our city," Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky said in a statement. "This is the heir apparent to the Checker, and people are going to fall in love with this taxi once they ride in it. It is going to represent New York City well.”
Photos: New York Taxi and Limousine Commission
