Which vehicle won New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow competition?

The Nissan NV200 won New York City’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” competition.

New York City selected the NV200 in 2011 after a competition intended to identify a standard replacement for much of the aging yellow-cab fleet. Nissan’s compact van was chosen over competing designs, including the Karsan V-1, Ford Transit Connect and other proposals. The vehicle was scheduled to enter service in 2012, although the rollout faced lawsuits, criticism and delays.

The NV200 was designed with taxi-specific features, including sliding doors, a spacious rear cabin, charging ports and improved visibility. It was not intended to replace every New York taxi: wheelchair-accessible vehicles and hybrid cars continued to play important roles in the fleet. The city’s taxi system also includes green street-hail vehicles, introduced in 2013 for areas outside much of central Manhattan.

A common mix-up is confusing the winning vehicle with the Ford Crown Victoria, the iconic model that dominated New York streets before the Taxi of Tomorrow program. “Taxi of Tomorrow” refers to the competition and its selected design, not to every taxi currently operating in the city.