Nissan unveiled its version of the iconic black London Taxi. It's taking on Geely, which took over the London Taxi Co. last year, in the market.
Replacing an icon is always a serious challenge in the car business but that hasn’t stopped Nissan.
The Japanese automaker has unveiled version of the London Taxi, which is specifically designed to try to replace the iconic black cabs that have long carried fares around London. It also sets up a potential dual with a Chinese rival, which purchased the rights to the old London Taxi Co. last year.
China’s Geely Group acquired The London Taxi Co. in February 2013 and resumed production of the iconic black cab beginning in September. Geely’s takeover of London Taxi came just a year after the firm collapsed. Geely promised to invest £150million, or nearly $250 million, during the next five years, including £80m, or more than $130 million, into research and production of the new hybrid TX5 model.
However, Geely’s effort hasn’t deterred Nissan from trying to stake a claim in the market with its NV200 cab.
“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 looks like its legendary forebears,” said Andy Palmer, chief planning officer and executive vice president, Nissan Motor Corp.
“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,” said Darryl Scriven, manager from Nissan Design in Paddington.
Palmer noted Nissan already has been active 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 regulations governing Hackney Carriages, including the required 25-foot turning circle.
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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.
“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,” Scriven said.
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Nissan is also forging ahead with its work in the sustainable motoring field, developing a 100% electric taxi – the e-NV200 – that 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.