By Adam Nichols
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — A Japanese minivan is to become New York City's "Taxi of Tomorrow."
Nissan's NV200 van was chosen by the Taxi and Limousine Commission to be the workhorse of the city's fleet of 13,200 yellow cabs.
The choice was officially announced Tuesday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg after 23,000 New Yorkers voted in an online competition.
"The new taxi meets our city's very peculiar needs," said Bloomberg.
Nissan had been among three manufacturers shortlisted in November to win the contract.
The choice is bound to be controversial. Advocates for people with disabilities ad been pushing for a design by Turkish manufacturer Karsan, which featured mechanical ramps for wheelchairs.
Supporters of the Karsan model were planning a protest against the Nissan choice outside City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
Owners of large taxi fleets had backed a Ford design that is widely used in Europe.
The Nissan was chosen for features including legroom and durability, as well as skylights, sliding doors, GPS navigation systems and air bags.
The city said it would get about 25 miles-per-gallon, compared to about 13 mpg with the existing Ford Crown Victoria cars.
But it will be some time before they're seen on the streets.
"Once the TOT (Taxi of Tomorrow) model is selected, TLC must necessarily engage in a lengthy contracting process before the TOT vehicle is in the market," the TLC wrote to the federal government.
"Thus, the TOT vehicle is a long way from actually appearing on the streets of the city."
The city estimates the first cars will start appearing by the end of next year.
Chairman of Nissan Americas, Carlos Tavares, said he hoped every taxi in the city would be a Nissan by the end of the decade.
