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Street Level : Nissan's Taxi Hits London

November 13, 2013 by Nissan

Street Level : Nissan's Taxi Hits London•Nissan's NV200 Taxi begins final testing phase on the Capital's streets

•Real-world durability process designed to make this the best London taxi ever

•New cabs will be sold and serviced by Nissan dealer group, Glyn Hopkin

•Design of new NV200 taxi will be unveiled before the end of 2013

LONDON, UK – Over the last 12 months, the new NV200 London Taxi has been undergoing an intensive development process by Nissan engineers. At the same time, Nissan's design center in Paddington has been applying the finishing touches to an iconic new exterior for the cab, penned especially for the Capital.

Now Nissan has begun London-specific real-world testing of its new NV200 Taxi, with the aim of making it the most reliable, economical and user-friendly Hackney Carriage the Capital has ever seen. Now in its final specification, the NV200 London Taxi enters the last phase of its testing process - hitting the streets of the city where it will spend its working life.

Based on the NV200 compact van, the taxi version has been designed from the inside out for the well being of passengers, drivers and even other road-users. It complies with all Transport for London (TfL) regulations with a 25ft (7.6m) turning circle and will be more environmentally friendly than current 'black cab' models thanks to its Nissan-sourced 1.6-liter gasoline engine.

Sliding doors give easy, safe access to the five-passenger rear interior, while other highlights include a glass roof (so that those onboard can enjoy the view of the city), rear air-conditioning and even plug-in ports for charging smartphones. It all adds up to the most advanced and enjoyable London cab yet.

Nissan can also announce that the Glyn Hopkin dealer group has been selected to sell, service and maintain the NV200 London Taxi.


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'Glyn Hopkin has a long relationship with Nissan, providing expert customer service to new and used buyers,' explained Nissan GB Managing Director Jim Wright. 'And with a new dedicated facility to be opened next year, it's ideally placed to apply that experience to serving taxi drivers.'

Glyn Hopkin, Chairman of the Glyn Hopkin Group, added: 'We're very proud to be selected to sell, service and maintain the new NV200 London Taxi. It's an iconic and very exciting vehicle. We're looking forward to looking after the needs of our new taxi customers.'

Nissan will reveal the final look of the new NV200 London Taxi at an event before the end of the year. Designed to be instantly recognizable as a London taxi, it gets a bespoke 'face' with distinctive and modern lighting, plus a new grille and bumper treatment over the regular NV200. The exterior certainly isn't the only part that has had the bespoke treatment, though; everything has been taken into consideration to ensure it can meet the demands of life as a London taxi.

Sales will begin in the second half of 2014 to allow time for thorough testing and evaluation. An all-electric version is under development, which will further reduce emissions of the London taxi fleet.

The NV200 London Taxi joins an exciting global Nissan vision for the taxi industry. Taxi versions of the NV200 have already been unveiled in Tokyo, Barcelona and New York.

About Nissan in the UK

•Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Note and Juke and the 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF

•Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles began last year, 2012

•Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than seven million units with 80 percent of production exported to 97 markets worldwide

•Total investment made and announced since then is over £3.5 billion

•510,572 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2012, a plant record

•Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 6,100 people

•Nissan's European Design Center is located in Paddington, London and employs around 65 people

•Nissan's European Technical Centre is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and employs around 1,000 people

About Nissan in Europe

Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 695,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.

Photo credit: Nissan
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