From The Straits Times    |

The new cabs set to cram the streets of the Big Apple were officially unveiled on April 3.

New York's new taxis finally unveiledThe taxi design, produced by Japanese automaker Nissan, beat out two competitors to be chosen as New York’s ‘taxi for tomorrow’, the traditional yellow design reflecting the input of hundreds of the city’s taxi drivers.

It’s considerably brighter than the cars which currently jam New York’s streets, and features sliding cargo doors which Nissan and city officials hope will cut the risk of hitting passing traffic or bicycles.

For passengers, the new design should be even more revolutionary, with a flat floor akin to that found in a London taxi which makes moving around far easier.

Thanks to the spacious minivan design (it’s based on the NV200, a commercially-available vehicle), there will be far more room for baggage, while a transparent roof panel will allow occupants to look up at the skyscrapers overhead.

Other nifty features include reading lights, floor lights to help find those dropped items, independently-controlled air conditioning and a USB charger, allowing passengers to top up their mobile phones and other gadgets while sitting in the city’s legendary traffic jams.

The model will enter service next year, and by 2018 it’s expected to be the only taxi on the roads of New York City, although Nissan is also planning to explore whether its all-electric Nissan Leaf could also be adopted for taxi service.

The new taxi will be on display through April 15 at the New York International Auto Show, which opens to the public April 6 at the Jacob Javits center. — AFP RELAXNEWS