Ford Falcon has for some years been the market leader in the Australian taxi market but as we know, Ford is ceasing local manufacturing in 2016.
Well Nissan may have a contender – the New York ‘Taxi Of Tomorrow’ has now gone into production at the Nissan plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Based on the Nissan NV200 compact cargo van, the New York taxi was developed by Nissan with considerable input from New York taxi drivers and, after a two-year process, in 2011, Nissan was awarded the exclusive contract from the Taxi and Limousine Commission of New York.
More than 600,00 people hail a cab every day in New York City and the famous ‘Yellow Cab’s are a famous part of the ‘City That Never Sleeps’.
The bottom line is after all that research and input from many of the most hardened taxi drivers in the world…well the Nissan ‘Taxi Of Tomorrow’ will also be perfectly suited to life as a taxi here in Australia. We could even take them painted in the same yellow colour as those being supplied to New York.
In a nutshell, after testing prototypes over 250,000kms – enough to cover every street in Manhattan more than 300 times – the New York taxi drivers and Nissan refined the package and settled on a vehicle specification more tailored to the needs of a New York taxi than any previous vehicle.
The specs include:
• Ample room for four passengers and their luggage (substantially more than any sedan-based vehicle)
• Sliding doors with entry step and handles
• Transparent roof panel to present unique views of the city and a light, breezy interior
• Flat, “no hump” passenger floor area
• Breathable antimicrobial environmentally-friendly, durable and easy-to-clean seat fabric which simulates the look and feel of leather
• Active carbon-lined headliner to neutralize interior odors
• Independently controlled rear air-conditioning
• Hearing loop system for the hearing impaired
• Integrated satellite navigation system and reversing camera
• Only taxi ever to be safety tested and certified with a full partition
Taxi drivers – bet your wondering about running costs?
Nissan’s New York taxis are powered by a fuel-efficient 2.0-litre engine and come with a full 240,000kms powertrain warranty.
Seems like a “no-brainer” solution to Australia’s taxi needs to us. Now watch some political or regulatory road-block appear to prevent it happening.
