Currently reading: New Nissan NV200 Taxi for London to be built in Coventry
Flexible new taxi model to be built by ADV manufacturing in Coventry from December

Final assembly of the new Nissan NV200 Taxi for London will be undertaken by ADV Manufacturing in Coventry at a dedicated new plant.

The joint investment deal between ADV Manufacturing and Nissan is worth £6 million. New taxis, based on donor NV200s sourced from Nissan's Barcelona plant, are due to start leaving the Coventry site in December. 

ADV Manufacturing's work on a new site adjacent to its existing factory will include equipping the NV200 with "new bodywork, a taxi interior refit and revised suspension and steering", according to Nissan.

Nissan chief planning officer Andy Palmer confirmed the deal in a speech to Coventry University students. The firm revealed that ADV was chosen "on the basis of its expertise and track record in the production of specialist vehicles, and on its ability to meet Nissan’s rigorous manufacturing standards".

The new Taxi for London, unveiled in the capital earlier this month, is claimed to have a number of advantages over the traditional TX4 London cab, including notably lower running costs and a level of reliability "that comes from being derived from a global mainstream vehicle" rather than a low-production bespoke vehicle, according to Nissan. 

The NV200 Taxi for London follows similar NV200-based taxis for New York, Tokyo and Barcelona. It will initially be offered in 1.6-litre petrol form with an all-electric version to follow in 2015. 

The design of the taxi includes several nods to the classic black cab, including in its chrome-heavy front grille and round headlamps – the latter units are taken from the Nissan Nissan Juke model, although there’s no Nissan badge on the front.

The distinctive flared front wings have to accommodate the wider track of a new front suspension system, which is unique to the London version of this Nissan. This was designed to meet the TfL 7.6m taxi turning circle regulations. The raised ride height also allows the car to offer the minimum 10in ground clearance requirement.

Darryl Scriven, Nissan’s London-based design excellence manager told Autocar that the new taxi was developed at Nissan’s Paddington design studio, in close consultation with Transport for London, the Mayor’s office, disabled groups and London cab drivers.

Detail additions include running boards, an LED taxi light on the roof (which is easier to see when illuminated during the day) and twin, wider, sliding rear doors for wheelchair access. Driver comfort is also being flagged up as an asset, thanks to the ‘superior’ seats and adjustable steering column. Passengers in the capital also get to have a better look at the city thanks to a panoramic glass roof.

The rear cabin has three seats on the bench and two more that fold down from the back of the front seats. The front passenger seat and the space around it is used for luggage. 

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Power for the taxi comes from a 113bhp, 117lb ft, 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a CVT gearbox. Economy figures have yet to be announced, but up to 40mpg is expected, with particulate (10mg/km) and NOx emissions emissions (1.0mg/km) significantly lower than traditional diesel taxis, which are a significant contributor to the poor air quality in central London. The Nissan’s real world economy is expected to be much better than today’s TX4 diesel cab, partly because the TX4 weighs nearly two tonnes.

The planned electric version will use much of the battery and EV technology from the Nissan Leaf hatchback.

There are around 20,000 black cabs on London’s roads, but upcoming emissions regulations will soon force many of the older cabs off the road, with Nissan targeting a significant share of the market this will open up. The lack of a diesel-powered version of the Nissan taxi also suggests that the capital’s authorities are trying to squeeze oil-burning cabs off the roads over the next decade.

The taxis will be sold exclusively by Nissan franchise dealer Glyn Hopkin in a purpose-built facility in Canary Wharf. Prices are tipped to be competitive with the existing LT1 TX4 taxi starting at an estimated £30,000.

Servicing costs are also expected to be lower than the competition, thanks to touches such as 14in wheels, which will reduce tyre replacement costs.

Hilton Holloway & Mark Tisshaw

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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concinnity 30 January 2014

It's still not too late.

It's still not too late to fix the styling at the front. Given that new pressings are required for the new front track and suspension it is good to see some reference made to the previous and current look of London taxis.The round headlights are a good start, but that grille has too much chrome and too much waterfall in it's shape. Surely the desire should be to reference the past designs, and not grotesquely parody it tn an ugly caricature. Keep the headlights. Fix the grille.
MrJ 29 January 2014

Ugly as sin, but I won't turn

Ugly as sin, but I won't turn one down on a wet night.

But surely Geely Group can equip the FX4 with hybrid power and decent suspension?

Tom Chet 7 January 2014

Space, ride, cost, emissions, looks

The thing I hate most about both FX4s and the Mercedes Vito cabs is their absolutely rotten ride. Since its based on a van, I doubt this Nissan will improve on either of those benchmarks but if it could I really couldn't care less about its looks.
I presume space will be no worse than current cabs...
As a London resident I will be very happy to see more of these on the road if they replace the old diesel fume-belchers off the road. Lower particulate emissions are a positive in my view. I would be interested to read if it cuts the ignition when stationary.
The grille and headlights look unnecessarily foul but to be honest I don't care if it's more comfortable, cleaner and no more expensive than current cabs.