The streets of New York will have a whole new look in a few years, and it has nothing to do with new buildings, landscaping or lighting.
Following a historic agreement, almost all of New York’s taxi fleet, more than 13,000 vehicles, half of which are Ford Crown Victoria cars, will be replaced by a single model, the Nissan NV200.
| Taxi Ford Crown Victoria (Photo: Mike Goetz/Auto123.com) |
New York City had launched a public tender to redesign the city’s taxi service. The city wanted to work with a single manufacturer, or with partners who needed to involve a manufacturer, to ensure a more cohesive and simpler product than the current system, which is in fact a mishmash of vehicles and suppliers.
Peter Bedrosian, senior director of Product Planning at Nissan North America, was responsible for the sales pitch with the city. I met him at the Nissan booth at the New York Auto Show, where the NV200 was on display in all its yellow glory. According to him, the city council appreciated that New Yorkers can express themselves on the appearance of the vehicle. City officials, taxi companies and drivers, customers, residents, all have been consulted on the issue.
“We gave New Yorkers the flexibility to tailor it to their needs,” added Bedrosian. “We suggested a basic model, but we left the choice of interior design to them. All our designers and engineers as well as the manufacturer’s staff were at their disposal. “
The NV200 has not yet arrived in Canada: when it does, in 2013, only the commercial version, without rear seats, will be available. Like taxis, it will be equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable transmission.
Will a hybrid engine model be offered?
“For now, only a gasoline model is planned,” says Bedrosian. “We will of course improve the powertrain as and when it is used and according to its vocation. This will be the most important evolution of the taxi industry in this market. “
We should also mention that New York City could count on an electric version of the NV200 in the long term. As part of the deal, Nissan will provide six LEAFs and three Level 2 charging stations free of charge to the city and taxi owners to test and evaluate the electrification of the fleet.
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| Nissan NV200 (Photo: Nissan) |
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