Toyota JPN Taxi update to be shown at 2015 Tokyo show

Like the original car, which debuted at the 2013 Tokyo motor show, the updated JPN Taxi concept is a tall, boxy, upright hatchback that marries the proportions of the famed London taxi with Japanese engineering.

People mover-style sliding rear doors are designed make ingress and egress simple, while the cavernous interior is said to be large enough to accommodate a passenger in a wheelchair. The latter is particularly important as Japan has to cater "to societal changes such as a rapidly aging population".

Although the basic shape of 2013 and 2015 JPN Taxi concepts is the same, the new car features completely unique body work and details that look like they belong on a vehicle about to trundle down the factory floor.

While the exterior seems to be more production ready than ever, under the skin the concept is decidedly more experimental, as it's powered by a LPG hybrid system.

Toyota says that the drivetrain is still "currently under development", but will not only offer good fuel economy but also "excellent environmental performance optimised for taxi driving conditions".

If and when a production version of the JPN Taxi debuts, Toyota hopes that it will one day supplant the Crown Comfort, a simple, boxy, rear-wheel drive sedan that is taxi of choice in many Japanese cities.

The Crown Comfort is also popular in both Singapore and Hong Kong. The vehicle is available in both long and short wheelbase models, and many cars feature automatic opening rear doors.

Power comes courtesy of a turbo-diesel or LPG four-cylinder engine hooked up to either a manual or automatic transmission..