Nissan unveils the new face of its taxi for London

Nissan has unveiled the new face of its taxi for London, redesigned to make it instantly recognisable 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 organisations, 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.

The 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.

In developing the NV200 Taxi for London, Nissan has ensured that it adheres to the strict TfL regulations governing Hackney Carriages, including the required 7.6-metre turning circle.

The NV200 cab for London is part of Nissan's global taxi programme, 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.

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."

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 recognisable as its legendary forebears.

Nissan is forging ahead with its pioneering work in the sustainable motoring field, developing a 100 percent electric taxi - the e-NV200 (banner picture) - 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 U.K. city in 2015.