New York City’s known the end of the Crown Vic era was nigh for some time now. Everyone with a stake in the taxi industry has been planning for it—repair shops even hoard parts—and New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is holding a competition for the city’s next cab. There are now but a mere three players left in the game: Ford, Nissan, and Turkish industrial-vehicle specialist Karsan. It’s the last of these that has perhaps the boldest idea of the three: build the taxis in the Big Apple itself. The company’s boss, William Wachtell, says he has his eye on the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. With the vehicle’s powertrain sourced from Chrysler—possibly due to Karsan’s ties to Fiat—the Turks think spending $100 million on a plant in an area ripe for redevelopment makes sense. And somehow, we can imagine self-styled rough-hewn Williamsburg kids pitching jobs at the taxi plant to their friends as the ultimate in working-class chic. Can we interest you in some obscure ‘60s Turkish garage rock with your taxi, dear Taxi and Limousine Commission?
Tags: Car Culture, Ford Transit Connect, Karsan, Nissan NV, taxi |
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