In a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg announced that Ford is joining Nissan and Turkish manufacturers Karsan as the three finalists in designing the "Taxi of Tomorrow," which will be "the next New York City taxicab (subject to constant improvements and enhancements) for the next ten years." Bloomberg said, "While the City has long set the standards for our taxis - including working to make our vehicles more fuel efficient - the City has never before worked with the auto industry to design one taxicab specifically for New York City, until now. We want New Yorkers to take part in this process and tell us the features they want to see in the Taxi of Tomorrow."
New Yorkers can log onto the Taxi of Tomorrow website and vote on features they want in the new cabs, including environmental friendliness and safety features. By filling out the questionnaire you also get a shot at winning free taxi rides for a year! Call us turncoats, but we're actually enjoying the Karsan design—so roomy, so open! Ford's kind of looks like we're going to be carpooling to the airport.
Update: Mayoral spokesman Marc LaVorgna tells us that actually the Ford vehicle is made in Turkey. He also says the Crown Vic is made in Canada and, "We received no proposals for taxis that would be made in the U.S." Sad trombone.
