New York City has chosen Nissan to supply its next generation taxi fleet. The Taxi of Tomorrow, based on the NV200 minivan, will be built in the Nissan plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico and is expected to enter service in 2013.
The 10-year contract, estimated to be worth $1 billion (£607 million), was announced Tuesday at a City Hall press briefing by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nissan Americas Chairman Carlos Tavares.
Plans to create a Taxi of Tomorrow were set in motion in 2007, when a group of stakeholders got together to create a set of goals for the next New York taxicab.
In December 2009, The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) issued a "request for proposals," inviting auto manufacturers and designers to submit their best ideas for a purpose-built vehicle. The TLC has now selected the Nissan NV200, which overcame competition from Ford Motor Co. and Turkish vehicle manufacturer Karsan in the final round of evaluation.
"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 Bloomberg. "The new taxis will be custom-designed to meet the specific demands of carrying 600,000 passengers a day in New York City traffic and the vehicle meets the top priorities identified by the public in our on-line survey."
"Nissan is proud to provide the next generation of taxis for the City of New York," said Tavares. "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."
The Nissan NV200 taxi will be a modified version of the compact commercial vehicle currently available in global markets including Japan, Europe and China. Total manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP), with all planned standard features, will be around $29,000 – the cheapest of the three finalists.
The new taxi will have features specifically chosen by New York City stakeholders, including sliding doors to reduce the risk of accidents when doors are opened in busy streets, driver's navigation and telematics systems, a mobile phone charging station for passengers, independently controlled rear air conditioning and a transparent roof panel (with shade) to provide unique views of the city.
It will also feature a 2.0L 4-cylinder powertrain, engineered to enhance emission performance and fuel efficiency and have more space for 4 passengers and their luggage compared to the current fleet of vehicles.
