Article from Autoblog:

"New York City is one step closer to choosing its next official taxi cab. With the Ford Crown Victoria getting on in years, the city is looking for a more efficient and functional way to move its citizens around. So far, the designs have been whittled down to three choices, and no matter who comes out on top, you can bet that the world will be seeing a lot more minivans in the Big Apple. Nissan, Ford and a Turkish company by the name of Karsan all have designs in the final round, and each eschews the traditional sedan taxi form in favor of something with a taller roof line.

Right now, New York City uses a fleet of 13,200 cabs built by a variety of manufacturers, but none of the vehicles are purpose-built people movers. For the next generation, NYC wanted a vehicle that was specifically designed to handle the average 70,000 miles of stop-and-go abuse per year that the city's taxi fleet endures.

Ford has thrown a version of its Transit Connect into the fracas, while Nissan's effort looks to be an industrial minivan that the company says could be fully electric in just a few years. Meanwhile, the Karsan design is spacious and wheel-chair accessible."

Source [Autoblog]

 

turkish huh?

 

A Turkish minivan? Good luck getting parts for that.

 

It sure would be nice if they went with cars made in the USA - you know, considering the economy and stuff

 

I think they should go with Ford.

 

QFT!

 

if i was a betting person, i would put my money on ford.

 

I don't get it. I thought NYC had an approved list of taxi models that the taxi companies could use. What's the point of the contest? Either you're approved or you're not.

From the NPR article it seems like they're trying to get rid of the current 16 approved models and just approve one.

If all three are good taxis, they should be approved and let the taxi companies decide which models are best for their customers instead of the city forcing a car upon them.