Nissan NV200 is now the official taxi of New York

Though it has been on city streets since late 2013, the Nissan NV200 is now the official taxi of New York City.

As of September 1, Nissan’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” is the sole new vehicle certified for use as a NY city taxi with the exception of a few hybrids and wheelchair-accessible vans. This means that taxi fleet operators now must replace any decommissioned cab with the NV200.

With a total of about 13,600 taxis in the fleet, with 3,000 being replaced annually and only 20 percent of them hybrids and wheelchair-accessible, it quickly becomes clear how this could amount to a $1 billion deal for Nissan. The deal was not won without a hard-fought battle, however, as an association of taxicab medallion holders took to the courts to dispute the New York Tax and Limousine Commission’s selection of a single make and model. This June, however, the NY Supreme Court ruled in favor of the TLC.

For what it’s worth, hybrid vehicles still allowed to serve as NY taxis include the Lexus RX 450h, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Prius V. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles include the Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Ford Transit Connect. Nissan is also working on an all-electric version of its cab. Currently about 750 Nissan NV200 taxis prowl the city streets, according to the NY Times (a number significantly lower than Nissan’s own estimate. In any case, expect to see a lot more soon.