OVER the last 12 months, the new NV200 London Taxi has been undergoing an intensive development process by Nissan engineers.
At the same time, Nissan’s design centre in Paddington has been applying the finishing touches to an iconic new exterior for the cab, penned especially for the Capital.
Now Nissan has begun London-specific real-world testing of its new NV200 Taxi, with the aim of making it the most reliable, economical and user-friendly Hackney Carriage the Capital has ever seen.
Now in its final specification, the NV200 London Taxi enters the last phase of its testing process – hitting the streets of the city where it will spend its working life.
Based on the NV200 compact van, the taxi version has been designed from the inside out for the well-being of passengers, drivers and even other road-users. It complies with all Transport for London (TfL) regulations with a 25ft (7.6m) turning circle and will be more environmentally-friendly than current ‘black cab’ models thanks to its Nissan-sourced 1.6-litre petrol engine.
Sliding doors give easy, safe access to the five-passenger rear interior, while other highlights include a glass roof (so that those onboard can enjoy the view of the city), rear air-conditioning and even plug-in ports for charging smartphones. It all adds up to the most advanced and enjoyable London cab yet.
Nissan can also announce that the Glyn Hopkin dealer group has been selected to sell, service and maintain the NV200 London Taxi. ‘Glyn Hopkin has a long relationship with Nissan, providing expert customer service to new and used buyers,’ explained Nissan GB Managing Director Jim Wright. ‘And with a new dedicated facility to be opened next year; it’s ideally placed to apply that experience to serving taxi drivers.’
Glyn Hopkin, Chairman of the Glyn Hopkin Group, added: ‘We’re very proud to be selected to sell, service and maintain the new NV200 London Taxi. It’s an iconic and very exciting vehicle – we’re looking forward to looking after the needs of our new taxi customers.’
Instantly recognisable
Nissan will reveal the final look of the new NV200 London Taxi at an event before the end of the year. Designed to be instantly recognisable as a London taxi, it gets a bespoke ‘face’ with distinctive and modern lighting, plus a new grille and bumper treatment over the regular NV200. The exterior certainly isn’t the only part that has had the bespoke treatment, though; everything has been taken into consideration to ensure it can meet the demands of life as a London taxi.
Sales will begin in the second half of 2014 to allow time for thorough testing and evaluation. An all-electric version is under development which will further reduce emissions of the London taxi fleet.
The NV200 London Taxi joins an exciting global Nissan vision for the taxi industry. Taxi versions of the NV200 have already been unveiled in Tokyo, Barcelona and New York, with the stateside version being launched as the New York City ‘Taxi of tomorrow’ last month.