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As if listening to our baffled confusion between good design producing a horrible vehicle earlier this week, Nissan has given its London Taxi a facelift to “better reflect the iconic nature of the traditional black cab”.
Having lived with the world’s most eye-catching buses for the past few years – redesigned by Heatherwick Studios and Wrightbus – Londoners might be a bit concerned that their streets are about to be filled with startled-looking black mini-vans.
The design is a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’ – the city of Mary Poppins had turned it’s nose up at Nissan’s proposal to simply paint its new New York cab black.
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Being the ugly kid in town doesn’t stop the NV200’s from having some smart design: it seats five passengers like the traditional LondonCab, with two flip-down seats facing the rear; has access for wheelchairs and sliding doors to let drunken bankers slump in through its doors in tight spaces, and it adheres to the classic regulation to throw a U-turn on the Savoy hotel’s 7.6m turning circle.
A 1.6-litre petrol engine and a zero-emissions electric version meet the new London emissions limits, yet its eco credentials are dented somewhat by its manufacture – parts will be produced in Barcelona and assembled in London, odd when Nissan has a UK factory plant already producing its electric Leaf city car.
Expect to see the new Black Cabs on London’s streets by the end of next year.