Big Apple residents who took the taxi-design survey brushed off two other finalist entries by Ford and Nissan. Evidently, thumbs went up instead for the futuristic Karsan V1's unique panoramic glass sunroof "for better views of the city” and its ample legroom for “four passengers seated in the same compartment.” Other surveys and public hearings were said to indicate that the car’s unprecedented compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for handicapped accessibility also made it a popular choice.
According to information from PRWeb, Karsan took the challenge of the Taxi of Tomorrow requirements to make a purpose-built taxi—the first in NYC's history—rather than to retrofit an existing sedan or van. Whichever winner of the bid—to be imminently decided upon—that company will gain "exclusive selling rights to the New York City taxi market for a ten year period, an estimated 2,650 vehicles per year."
The new fleet of yellow taxis should all be phased in by 2014, as the retiring cars are bid a resounding hail and farewell.
Comments
Here's a follow-up on NYC's final decision for its new fleet of taxis. The city announced today that the "Taxi of Tomorrow" honor will go to Japanese automaker Nissan, thus rejecting the high-contending Turkish company Karsan. Taxi of Tomorrow (Huffington Post story)