Calling it a “wonderful day” for New York, a smiling Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the state of the art “Taxi of Tomorrow” for its official Big Apple debut this evening at the New York Auto Show.
“Visitors and New Yorkers are really going to love getting in this cab,” said Bloomberg.
After taking his inaugural sit in the back seat, Bloomberg nuzzled in and pronounced the Nissan NV 200 “fantastic.”
“All the time I’ve sat in taxis where there’s no leg room, with the hump in middle, this is unbelievable,” he said.
The future taxis have 10 extra inches of leg room than the Crown Vics currently in use and no dividing hump in the back seat, making it easier to hold 3 adults.
It’s the first custom built car for use as a taxi since the Checker and also comes with a transparent roof, anti-microbial seats and air bags for passengers.
Bloomberg said the number one priority in designing the cabs – which won’t hit the streets until 2013 – was safety.
Other safety features include sliding doors – to prevent disembarking passengers from whacking cyclists – and a retractable step to enter and exit.
It’s the first cab to ever be crash tested with the partition installed, said Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan.
Ghosn – who introduced Bloomberg at the vehicle’s unveiling – said it was a “unique challenge” designing for New Yorkers.
That’s because it had to be built for a range of passengers, from the commuting business professional to the mobility-challenged elderly.
“We aim to bring innovation and excellence to everyone,” said Ghosn, a global superstar in the auto business.