Nissan Mexicana, the Mexican unit of Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Company said production has started on a vehicle that will be used exclusively in New York City’s taxi fleet.
The Nissan NV200 was selected by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission “as the city’s exclusive taxi” and is being hailed as the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” Nissan Mexicana said.
The futuristic-looking Nissan NV200 will make its official debut in NYC’s taxi fleet in late 2013. In a competition that started in 2007, Nissan México beat out designs from Turkish manufacturer Karsan and Ford. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission chose the Nissan NV200 for its durability, safety, comfort, passenger amenities and other features.
Each cab will cost $29,000. The new cabs will replace the present fleet, which is composed of a hodgepodge of Crown Victorias, Ford Escapes, Toyota Priuses and other vehicles. This means that in a little more than two years, all New York taxis will be the same model.
The vehicles will be manufactured at Nissan’s plant in the state of Morelos. The Nissan plant has pledged to use 80% Mexican parts on the new model, which will be a huge boost to local auto manufacturer suppliers. The contract to build the new taxis has given the Mexican plant a guaranteed 10 more years of work. In order to meet the demand for the taxi project, the plant will be hiring 200 to 300 workers to complement its current workforce of 3,000.
(from Latin American Herald Tribune)
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