New York Will Get Its Fancy Future Taxis

So long, Crown Vics, and thanks for all the rides to the airport. Today New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to approve the rules that will make Nissan's "Taxi of Tomorrow" the next-gen cab of the Big Apple.

Last year Nissan revealed its futuristic cab, which is based on the NV200 cargo van the company was already selling in Europe and Asia and is now bringing to the U.S. as a production car. The Nissan beat out rivals including one based on the Ford Transit Connect van. Now that the commission has approved the design, it will be the taxi that medallion owners must buy starting in late 2013. Over the next three to five years, the NV200-based taxi will be phased in to take over the fleet.

The rise of the Nissan taxis means that New York's traffic will look a lot different in a few years. Today, NYC yellow cabs are a hodgepodge of old Ford Crown Victorias, hybrids including Ford Escapes and Toyota Priuses, and a smattering of other sedans and minivans. But soon the streets will be crawling with these cargo vans, which come equipped with phone chargers in the back and a transparent roof to allow for stunning views of the skyline.

The Taxi of Tomorrow has its opposition, though, and not just because its looks are so far removed from that of a traditional sedan like the Crown Vic. In the 2000s, NYC, like several other cities, pushed to turn a percentage of the taxi fleet into hybrids, thinking hybrid engines make particularly good sense for the stop-and-go driving style of a New York cab. But the new Nissan taxi is gas-only.

This trend may not be limited to New York. At Nissan's event for the new taxi last year, the company told us that it hopes to sell the cab to other cities, too.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/new-york-will-get-its-futuristic-new-taxis-12927381?src=rss

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