New York Live - Nissan NV200 (Evalia) Mobility Taxi unveiled

Nissan has unveiled the wheelchair accessible version of the Nissan NV200 called the NV200 Mobility Taxi at the New York Auto Show.

The Nissan NV200 Mobility Taxi is set to debut along with the NV200 New York Taxi in the fourth quarter of 2013 through the "Taxi of Tomorrow" program. It is to be noted that the NV200 is also selected to be the next Black Cab a.k.a. London Taxi (Hackney Carriage).

While its Indian cousin, the Nissan Evalia targets the private buyers, the NV200 wants to make its mark as a quintessential big city taxi. The NV200 Mobility Taxi improves its versatility even further by being friendly towards specially-abled persons and the elderly.

The NV200 Mobility Taxi was developed in conjunction with BraunAbility, a US based specialist in wheel chair accessible vehicles. The taxi has a rear entry ramp and an industry first restraint system to secure the wheelchair.

The Mobility Taxi functions as a normal taxi until the mobility feature is needed. All that a taxi driver needs to do is to fold the second row of seats, open the rear entry door, unfold the wheel chair ramp, load the passenger, secure him/her using the shoulder and lap belts and retract the ramp (which now stows vertically) and finally shut the door.

The advantage of the rear entry ramp is that the passengers needn't cross the traffic during ingress and egress. The ramp is 30" wide, 72" long with a ramp angle of 8.6 degree and a load rating of 800 pounds (363 kg). All these specifications exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.

With contracts for two of the major cities in the globe secure, the Nissan NV200 is all set to be a volume product for its maker.