New York City's next generation of yellow cabs will be minivans featuring sliding doors, antibacterial seats, air bags in the back and outlets to charge mobile phones.
City officials unveiled the "Taxi of Tomorrow," manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., at the New York International Auto Show on Tuesday. The vehicle, on display to the public from Friday to April 15, was engineered to be durable enough to handle the city's 10,000 km of pothole-riddled streets, according to Nissan officials.
Priced at $29,700, the vehicle will include a transparent roof, fuel-efficient engine, no-hump floors, 25 cm more legroom than a Crown Victoria and more luggage space than most current cabs, according to the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. They're scheduled to hit New York City's streets by fall 2013.