NV200 TAXI: FIRST NEW YORK... AND NOW LONDON
Already chosen as New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow, Nissan reveals NV200 Black Cab for London - with EV taxis as a possible next step in both cities
- NV200 chosen as next generation of the iconic New York City yellow cab
- Nissan will be ‘safest and most comfortable' NYC taxi ever
- New NV200 Black Cab for London looks for certification at end of 2012
HANOVER (18 September, 2012)- New York City has lent further proof that Nissan is one of the most innovative car companies in the world by choosing the Nissan NV200 as its iconic Taxi of Tomorrow. From late 2013, the city's celebrated Yellow Cabs will be based on Nissan's award-winning multi-purpose compact van.
And London's equally famous Black Cabs will have a new offering next year, once an extensively modified NV200 London Taxi has passed final tests to achieve full certification.
After a rigorous, two-year competitive bid selection process, in May 2011 the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) selected the Nissan NV200 Taxi as the exclusive taxi of New York City, beginning in late 2013 and for the following ten years.
"The Nissan NV200 will be the safest, most comfortable and most convenient taxi the City has ever had," said New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "New York City cabs have always been iconic, and now they will set a new standard. The 600,000 passengers who use taxis to get around every day deserve the cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-line safety features that this model delivers."
Designed from the inside out with input from New York taxi drivers, fleets and passengers, standard interior features and passenger amenities include:
- Ample room for four passengers and their luggage
- Sliding doors with entry step and grab handles, providing easy ingress and egress
- Transparent roof panel, presenting unique vertical views of the city
- Opening side windows
- Independently controlled rear air conditioning
- Active Carbon lined headliner to help neutralize interior odours
- Floor lighting and overhead reading lights for passengers
- A mobile charging station for passengers
- Breathable, antimicrobial, durable and easy-to-clean fabric
- Flat passenger floor area for a more comfortable ride
Given its role transporting more than half a million passengers each day, safety is an integral part of the NV200 Taxi's make up.
It will be the first NYC taxi ever to be safety tested and certified with a full taxi partition. Standard equipment will include driver, passenger and seat mounted airbags for the front, plus curtain airbags for front and rear seat occupants. Traction control and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) will also be standard.
The use of sliding side doors will reduce the risk of pedestrians, cyclist, and other motorists being hit by an opening door, while warning lights will alert other road users when the doors are being opened.
"We're proud to introduce a new era of urban mobility to New York with the Nissan NV200 Taxi - New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow," said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn.
"The Taxi of Tomorrow draws on Nissan's global experience in commercial vehicles, and also benefits from the insight of New York City taxi drivers and passengers, who helped identify important improvements over today's cabs. The Nissan taxi will deliver unprecedented levels of innovation and comfort to New York's taxi riders."
The Nissan NV200 NYC Taxi, which is powered by a 2.0-litre, four cylinder petrol engine, will be produced in North America at Nissan's manufacturing facility in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Meanwhile, extensive modifications to the standard vehicle ensure the NV200 London Taxi fully conforms to unique regulations set in Transport for London's London Taxi Conditions of Fitness.
These include being able to accommodate a wheelchair passenger and achieve a 7.6m turning-circle - a legal requirement for all Hackney carriages, said to originate from the small roundabout in front of the Savoy Hotel on The Strand that taxis needed to round in one manoeuvre.
Designed from the inside out for the well-being of passengers, drivers and other road users, the NV200 London Taxi is more efficient and more environmentally considerate than current Black Cabs, while delivering more comfort, space and convenience for occupants. A particular focus was placed on providing for passengers with mobility issues.
The Nissan NV200 London Taxi comfortably seats five adults - three on a rear bench with two on rear-facing, fold-down seats. The front passenger seat has been removed to create space for luggage.
Stand-out features include the taxi's sliding passenger doors, which allow easy ingress and egress and which are also much safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles as they do not swing out to create a potential obstruction.
It will be powered by an 89hp 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine which will offer significantly improved running costs and lower emissions when compared to existing London taxis.
With a six-speed manual transmission, its combined fuel consumption figure means fuel savings of almost 50 per cent over the most efficient traditional cab while CO2 emissions of only 139g/km compared with 209g/km.
Final testing, including crash testing, will be undertaken towards the end of this year after which NV200 London Taxi will be licensed to help carry some of the capital's 300,000 daily taxi passengers.
Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President of Nissan, said: "Nissan is proud to be delivering a 21st century vision for one of London's most iconic vehicles. The ‘black cab' is as much a part of the London landscape as Big Ben and, whilst there will always be a place for that familiar silhouette, the Nissan NV200 London Taxi focuses as much attention on its interior as the exterior - a better experience for drivers and passengers.
"We've even considered those who might never get inside the taxi but who will benefit from features such as the model's lower CO2 emissions or the un-obstructing sliding doors."
Nissan is also looking to develop 100 per cent electric taxis for both New York and London, with a view to reducing city centre air pollution considerably.
Working with New York City and taxi owners, a pilot program will see Nissan providing six 100 per cent electric Nissan LEAFs and three Level 2 charging stations at no cost to taxi owners and New York City to test the potential for electrification of the taxi fleet.
In London, meanwhile, discussions with all the stakeholders will continue to try to make an e-NV200 taxi a realistic proposition by increasing investment in the capital's charging infrastructure.