Nissan's Taxi of Tomorrow Makes NYC Debut...

On April 3, the first full vehicle prototype of the Taxi of Tomorrow, AKA the 2014 Nissan NV200 taxi, made its global debut at a special event in SoHo with Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn and New York City officials. Then it headed to the 2012 New York International Auto Show, where at the Jacob Javits Center, so the public could take a look. It won’t officially hit the streets until late 2013.

The AutoBlog had the scoop. Apparently, after a rigorous, two-year competitive bid selection process, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) selected the Nissan NV200 Taxi in May 2011 as the exclusive taxi of New York City beginning in late 2013. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Design Trust for Public Space and Smart Design also have engaged with Nissan and the TLC in the vehicle’s design.

In the press announcement, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “The Nissan NV 200 unveiled today will be the safest, most comfortable and most convenient taxi the City has ever had.”

Designed from the inside out, using input from New York taxi drivers, medallion holders, fleets and passengers, standard interior features and passenger amenities include:

Ample room for four passengers and their luggage, offering substantial improvements over current taxi models
Sliding doors with entry step and grab handles, providing easy entry and exit
Transparent roof panel, presenting unique views of the city
Opening side windows
Independently controlled rear air conditioning
Active Carbon Lined headliner to help neutralize interior odors
Overhead reading lights for passengers and floor lighting to help locate belongings
A mobile charging station for passengers, including a 12-volt electrical outlet and two USB ports
Breathable, antimicrobial, environment-friendly, durable and easy-to-clean seat fabric, simulating the look and feel of leather
Flat “no hump” passenger floor area for more comfortable ride

Other Notables per the NY Times:

The new taxi will have signs on each side indicating whether it is vacant, in addition to the roof light.
The transparent roofs mean that rooftop advertisements may have to be moved, possibly to the sides of the taxis, said the Taxi and Limousine Commission commissioner, David S. Yassky
Getting into the taxi has also been made easier. Nissan added a step that slides out when the door opens, making it easier for women in skirts who are used to carefully shimmying in and out of taxis.
Riders also have several handgrips to hold onto when they are climbing in; the sliding door to open the taxi is also lighter than the doors on traditional taxis.

In their write-up, Creativity Online noted:

The horn, for one, will be less shrill and the cab in general will be better suited for the rough roads of the Big Apple.
An anti-bacterial material is being used for the flooring — no more stink! — and the partition is made of a better plastic material.

The taxicab has been promoted through an aggressive ad campaign created by TBWA/Chiat/Day L.A., including outdoor ads on billboards and on the top of existing cabs that read: “Limos will be jealous,” and “Kept it yellow, changed everything else.”

You can check out a slideshow, care of Yahoo!, here.

And here’s a video from May 2011, when the announcement was made about the Nissan NV200 being officially selected for New York’s future taxi fleet.