The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) has selected the Nissan NV200 as the exclusive taxi that will serve the people of New York City beginning in late 2013.
The award comes after a selection process that lasted more than two years. The other two finalists were Ford and Karsan, a Turkish vehicle manufacturer.
The Nissan NV200 taxi will be produced in North America at Nissan’s facility in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It will be a modified version of a compact commercial vehicle currently available in global markets, including Japan, Europe and China.
It will sport a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine, sliding doors with entry step and grab handles, a transparent roof panel with shade, overhead reading lights for passengers and floor lighting to help locate belongings, as well as a mobile charging station for passengers.
The total suggested retail price (MSRP) of the vehicle, with all planned standard features, will be around $29,000 (£17,500).
As part of the programme, Nissan also will work with the city and taxi owners on a pilot project to study the use of zero-emission electric vehicles as taxis.
To do so, the company will provide up to six all-electric Nissan LEAFs to taxi owners for testing in 2012, as well as the charging stations to support their use.
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