NISSAN UNVEILS THE NEW FACE OF ITS TAXI FOR LONDON

Jan. 6, 2014 - Nissan has unveiled the new face of its Taxi for London, redesigned to make it instantly recognizable as one of the capital's iconic black cabs.

• Designed in London, for London, at Nissan's European design center in Paddington
  
  
• Production version will be launched in December 2014
  
  
• Zero emission electric taxi to be launched in 2015

LONDON, UK – Nissan has unveiled the new face of its Taxi for London, redesigned to make it instantly recognizable as one of the capital's iconic black cabs.

Based on the company's successful multi-purpose NV200 platform, the vehicle was first unveiled as a bold and exciting new vision for the famous London Hackney Carriage in August 2012. In response to feedback from the London Mayor's office, Transport for London and other key organizations which have put their backing behind the new taxi, Nissan has redesigned the vehicle to better reflect the iconic nature of the traditional black cab.

Nissan's newly redesigned taxi has been developed for London, in London, by Nissan Design Europe (NDE) in Paddington, the same design center responsible for the Qashqai and Juke. The new taxi will be launched in December 2014 with a modern, clean, 1.6-litre petrol engine equipped with an automatic gearbox. Furthermore, Nissan will launch a zero emission electric version of the NV200 taxi in 2015.

Nissan already has a rich pedigree in the London taxi market. Its 2.7-liter TD27 diesel engine was fitted to the FX4 "Fairway" and TX1 black cabs during the 1980s and '90s and gained a reputation for reliability and durability. In developing the NV200 Taxi for London, Nissan has ensured that it adheres to the strict TfL regulations governing Hackney Carriages, including the required 25 foot (7.6-meter) turning circle.

The NV200 cab for London is part of Nissan's global taxi program which also encompasses New York, Barcelona and Tokyo. The London version's design is bespoke, reflecting the rich heritage and status of London's black cabs.

Among the specific changes that have been made to the front of the NV200 taxi are:

• Round headlamps and a remodeled grille mirroring the traditional black cab "face"
  
  
• LED lighting to improve visibility of the traditional taxi sign
  
  
• Completely new front bumper panels
  

Design Excellence Manager at NDE, Darryl Scriven, said: "Having already overcome the unique technical challenges presented by the development of a new Hackney Carriage for London ahead of our launch of the vehicle in August 2012, we turned our attention to making the vehicle look the part. The Mayor's office and taxi drivers were very keen that we maintain the character of the Hackney Carriage making it something that people in the city can be proud of.

"The main challenges were concerned with making sure customers can easily recognize it as a taxi. Being in London, we were able to go out and talk to cabbies about what was important to them as well as look at the vehicle from a customer's viewpoint. It's unusual for us to be able to work on something as bespoke as this, specifically for one location in the world and we are very proud to have been asked to do so."

Andy Palmer, Chief Planning Officer and Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Corporation, said: "Since we launched our Taxi for London in August 2012, we have worked closely with the Mayor's office and associated stakeholders and interested parties to ensure that Nissan's new cab, not only raises the bar for both driver and passenger, but is also as instantly recognizable as its legendary forebears.

"Alongside this, our engineers at Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, have continued work on the cab, running real world trials on the streets of London."

Nissan intends to put the NV200 Taxi for London on sale in the Capital in December 2014. From launch the new taxi will be available with a 1.6 liter gasoline engine equipped with an automatic gearbox. Compared to current diesel London taxis, this engine will be far cleaner with lower levels of NOx and particulates.

Nissan franchised dealer group, Glyn Hopkin, has been appointed as the exclusive retailer to sell the Nissan NV200 Taxi for London from a purpose-built, ultra modern showroom facility based in Canary Wharf.

Nissan is also forging ahead with its pioneering work in the sustainable motoring field developing a 100 percent electric taxi – the e-NV200 – which it aims to have on the streets of London years ahead of the Mayor's target of 2020 for the development of a zero emissions taxi. Nissan's electric taxi will be on the streets of a UK city in 2015.

Currently, there are only two alternatives for London’s 22,600 cab drivers, the traditional ‘LTI TX4 and the Mercedes Vito.

According to Transport for London, the local government body responsible for the city's transport system, there are 25,000 licensed cabdrivers and 22,500 licensed vehicles in London. The traditional London cabs now made by LTC, known as Hackney Carriages, account for 20,495 of them with the balance consisting of Mercedes-Benz's Vito model. Total annual vehicle sales are around 1,200.

LTC cabs sell for £32,995 ($53,956) to £36,790, while the Mercedes-Benz Vito is priced at £42,370. Industry insiders expect the Nissan to cost around £30,000.

"If it comes in at that price, it will take 20% to 25% of the market in the first year and more in following years," said Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association.

TICKS ALL THE RIGHT BOXES

Nissan has a respected place in the capital’s taxi history. Its 2.7-litre TD27 diesel engine was chosen for the iconic LTI FX4 ‘Fairway’ black cab which introduced improved speed, reliability and efficiency to the London cabbie’s daily drive. The same engine also featured in the Fairway’s successor, the TX1.

Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, said: ‘From what I’ve seen of the NV200 London Taxi, it ticks all the right boxes. It’s important that it looks like a cab, is comfortable and is reliable. If the fuel consumption figures are as promised it will be a big seller.’

Designed from the inside out for the well being of passengers, drivers and even other road users, the NV200 London Taxi is more efficient and more environmentally considerate than current ‘black cab’ models while delivering more comfort, space and convenience for occupants. A particular focus was also placed on providing for passengers with mobility issues.

Alan Norton, from Assist UK, said: ‘We congratulate Nissan for its initiative and wish them every success with their project.’

Durable and reliable, the Nissan NV200 London Taxi is based on the company’s multi-purpose NV200 compact van, a vehicle which has won many awards including International Van Of The Year. Launched at end of 2009, the model has been introduced to 40 countries selling over 100,000 units worldwide.

The Nissan NV200 London Taxi comfortably seats five adults – three on a rear bench with two on rear facing, fold down seats. The front passenger seat has been removed to create space for luggage.

A stand out feature is the taxi’s sliding passenger doors which were developed for easy opening and closing. They are also much safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles because they do not swing out to create a potential obstruction.

The diesel version of the Nissan NV200 London Taxi is expected to be competitively priced below the new TX4, the London Taxi Company’s current model, and will be available through a designated ‘specialist’ Nissan dealer.

Nissan’s NV200 also delivers significantly improved running costs than alternative London cabs. The model’s frugal 1.5 dCi 110 HP EuroV, 6-speed manual drive train achieves 53.3mpg on a combined cycle meaning almost 50 per cent fuel saving than the most efficient TX4 with its combined cycle figure of 35.3mpg.

21ST CENTURY VISION

Fuel costs account for around 10 percent of taxi driver overheads. Over the course of a year, NV200 London Taxi drivers would spend around 50 per cent less, about £700, on fuel than TX4 drivers.

With a focus on improving air quality in the city, the NV200 London Taxi’s Euro V engine only emits up to 139g/km of CO2 compared with 209g/km from the ‘greenest’ TX4 model. If all of London’s licensed taxis were replaced with the NV200 London Taxi there would be a CO2 reduction across London of 37,970 metric tonnes each year, the equivalent of planting 10,000 acres, or two Congestion Charge zones of trees every 12 months.

Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President of Nissan, said: ‘Nissan is proud to be delivering a 21st century vision for one of London’s most iconic vehicles. The ‘‘black cab’’ is as much a part of the London landscape as Big Ben and, whilst there will always be a place for that familiar silhouette, the Nissan NV200 London Taxi focuses as much attention on its interior as the exterior – a better experience for drivers and passengers.

‘The Nissan NV200 is a global taxi launching in the biggest and brightest cities in the world. Safe, comfortable, efficient and convenient – it’s a great step forward for providing a transport solution that is good for both its users and other city inhabitants.’

NEW TAXI SHOWROOM WILL PROVIDE TOP LEVEL OF SERVICE TO CABBIES

GLYN HOPKIN, the dealer principal of Glyn Hopkin Ltd, says London taxi drivers will be getting a ‘top level of service’ when a new showroom opens to cater for their needs in the coming weeks.

As reported on Nissan Insider, Nissan will be putting its exciting new NV200 Taxi for London on sale in the capital later this year.

And Nissan franchised dealer group, Glyn Hopkin, has been appointed as the exclusive retailer to sell the vehicle from a purpose-built, ultra-modern showroom in Canary Wharf.
Mr. Hopkin has explained the thinking behind the decision to open an entirely new facility for the project. He said: ‘We spent many months considering what would be the best place.

Totally redesigned

‘Initially, we looked at putting the taxi in one of our existing dealerships, but we didn’t feel that that was the right way to give the top level of service to the taxi driver. Several months ago we started looking in the East London area. Fortunately, a facility in Canary Wharf was available.

‘Canary Wharf is very modern. It’s easily accessible and we found a very good facility there. It’s a big showroom with a big workshop and in a modern building. We’re having it totally redesigned at the moment to suit the taxi brand.

‘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.’

The new taxi will be available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine equipped with an automatic gearbox. Compared to current diesel London cabs, the engine will be far cleaner with lower levels of NOx and particulates.

© 2014 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.