Proclaimed as the “Taxi Of Tomorrow,” the Nissan NV200 New York City Taxi has been slow to get off the ground since it was launched last year into a wave of disputes and backlash.
According to Automotive News, Nissan plans to relaunch the NV200 taxi soon in an effort to put it on the radar of more cab drivers in the city – where Nissan was awarded a contract to supply all of the taxis for 10 years back in 2011. It’s estimated there are no more than 500 of the Nissan taxis on the streets of New York, far short of projections.
But it faces an uphill battle against the New York Court of Appeals, which plans to hear a suit filed by the Greater New York Taxi Association that calls out the exclusive contract awarded to Nissan, the inability of drivers to shop competing models and even the taxi’s panoramic moonroof is being called “unsafe.”
Aside from the politics, the cost is a hurdle for Nissan – or rather, for Nissan to convince cab drivers the NV200 is worth roughly $10,000 more than some competing models being used as taxis.
New York City’s current mayor, Bill de Blasio, has long been a critic of the contract set in motion by his predecessor, too.
So years after it was planned to be seen all around New York City, the Nissan NV200 is far from being a common sight. And there could be plenty more turns in this story.
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