Nissan NV200 – New York City’s exclusive new taxi

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has awarded Nissan the exclusive rights to the city for the 10-year period, in what is being referred to as the ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ program.

The New York City taxi fleet is the biggest in the US, with more than 13,000 cabs on the road. The vehicles are responsible for transporting more than 600,000 passengers every day. The average NYC cab covers 60,000km every year.

The NV200 taxi will be produced at Nissan’s assembly plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It will be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which Nissan promises will be fuel efficient with low emissions.

The NV200 is designed to transport four passengers and their luggage. It has sliding doors (for enhanced pedestrian and cyclist safety) with side steps and grab handles for ease of ingress/egress.

The roof is transparent with a shade and was designed to give a unique view of the city.

The introduction of the Nissan cabs is set to make the streets of New York significantly quieter, and probably brighter. It will feature a ‘low-annoyance’ horn linked to the headlights. The lights will flash in tandem with the softer horn in an attempt to reduce noise pollution.

The NV200 will be safer than ever, with six airbags and ESC fitted standard, and it will come with more cabin technology, including a 12V electrical outlet and two USB ports for passengers to recharge phones and appliances, and a navigation and telematics system for the driver.

As part of the program, Nissan will also add six of its LEAF electric vehicles to the existing fleet in 2012 to study the viability of EV taxis.