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Three Finalists Unveiled by City for New York's 'Taxi of Tomorrow'

By DNAinfo Staff on November 15, 2010 3:58pm  | Updated on November 16, 2010 7:00am

By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

CITY HALL — Goodbye Crown Vic, Hello ... Karsan?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday the city has selected three finalists in its search for the "Taxi of Tomorrow," a new fleet of yellow cabs that would be custom-built exclusively for the City.

Among the features being considered are plugs for charging cell phones, WiFi, and sun roofs for staring up at the Midtown skyline.

"Although the city has long set standards for our taxis, we have never before worked with the auto industry to design a taxi cab especially for New York City," the mayor said at City Hall as he revealed the designs, which were selected after a three-year search by the TLC and the Mayor's Office.

The three models up for consideration look very different than the iconic yellow cabs New Yorkers hail today.

Both the Nissan Public and Ford Transit Connect resemble minivans, with lots of leg room and storage space in the back. The Karsan looks more like a Mini Cooper, with a backward-facing fourth passenger chair — a feature found in London cabs.

Karsan is a Turkish company that manufactures Fiat and other brands.

Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David Yassky said whichever vehicle is chosen, the new models will likely have a higher sticker price than cars in the current fleet. But the city hopes the cars' lifetime costs will be lower because of better gas millage and maintenance costs.

The Nissan and Karsan are priced similarly to the Ford Escape, which the city currently used in its taxi fleet. The Ford Transit Connect is "significantly higher than that," Yassky said.

"We are very cognizant that we've got to keep the cost of doing business reasonable for the industry, so we want to make sure that the overall lifetime cost is as low as we can make it," he said.

The city's top priorities in choosing the models were safety, sustainability, durability and performance, since cabs take a beating every day.

While medallion owners will be forced to buy the new cars, Yassky said that everyone will also benefit from buying in bulk.

"It does mean that the owners get locked in, but that's why we have a competitive process up front," he said.

If the deal goes through, the new cabs are expected to be phased in as older cars retire.

The finalists will now have a month to tweak their designs and make a final presentation next month.

The winner will be announced in early 2011. The new cabs are slated to hit the road by fall 2014.

New Yorkers can weigh in on what they'd like to see in the new cabs here.