NEW YORK – Nissan raises the curtain on the next stage of development of what promises to be a global taxi, even though it was inspired by New York's desire to create a more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly and convenient people carrier.
The Nissan NV200 is scheduled to launch in late 2013 and become the exclusive taxi in New York over the following three to five years. The 13,237 taxis now on Big Apple streets carry 600,000 riders daily.
“The city desires a taxi that is as accessible and as beautiful as possible,” says Commissioner David Yassky of the Taxi and Limousine Commission. “It must also have a commodious and convenient interior.”
The city selected the small Nissan truck from among entries by several auto makers. Nissan will transform the commercial vehicle into a 4-passenger taxi with enough cargo space to accommodate luggage standing up. Some of the taxis will have a wheelchair-toting accessory rack.
Despite this, several wheelchair-bound people heckled the speakers during the NV200’s unveiling near New York's iconic Flatiron Building, complaining that the vehicle isn't more accessible to disabled passengers.
Nissan surveyed hundreds of New York residents and taxi patrons before coming up with the design, says Joe Castelli, vice president-Nissan Fleet and Commercial Vehicles.
He says the project began in 2007 and employed dozens at Nissan's design center in San Diego, at the auto maker’s engineering center in Farmington Hills, MI, and at its proving grounds in Arizona. More than 100 Nissan engineers in Japan worked on the multimillion-dollar project as well.
Nissan also consulted with the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum about the taxi’s design.
The NV200 taxi will be produced in Mexico and priced at $29,000.
The auto maker initially will install a conventional 2.0L, 4-cyl. engine in the taxi, and a Nissan spokeswoman promises it will have better fuel economy than most taxis now in service in New York. That does not include hybrids.
She says Nissan plans to introduce an-all electric powertrain for the taxi in 2017. Testing will begin as early as next year in a real-life environment.
The new taxi features a panoramic roof that offers passengers a view of the city's skyline. Interior space features a flat floor and a large video monitor. There will be USB ports and electric outlets to plug in and recharge electronic devices. Interior air will be filtered to ensure a fresh-smelling passenger cabin.
Castelli says Nissan has received inquiries from Australia, India, Brazil and other countries interested in obtaining the new taxi design. Alliance partner Renault is not involved in the project, he says.
Nissan will reveal the finished vehicle to the public sometime during first-half 2012.
Before production launches, the taxi will undergo more than 400,000 miles (644,000 km) of testing. To measure the mettle of the vehicle, the auto maker has built a roadway designed to represent a typical New York street – presumably including potholes – at its Arizona proving ground.
