Ford’s Transit Connect could become taxi
Ford’s Transit Connect could become taxi
Ford to show concept in the nation’s largest taxi market
Automotive News | March 19, 2008 - 12:15 am EST
Ford Motor Co. is expected to debut a taxi cab concept based on its Transit Connect van at the New York auto show today.
The Transit Connect Taxi concept can carry three passengers seated behind the driver and up to 75 cubic feet of cargo. The taxi concept is powered by the van’s standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, mated to an automatic transmission.
The concept’s interior features a host of infotainment and convenience technology for its passengers. A 13-inch touch screen allows passengers to watch video or music channels and follow the taxi’s trip on an interactive map. A scrolling news, weather, sports and stock ticker is on display for passengers as well.
Another feature: High speed internet that is compatible with Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones.\
Manufactured and designed by Ford of Europe, the standard Transit Connect van is scheduled for U.S. launch in the summer of 2009.
A perfect setting?
New York might be the perfect setting for Ford to introduce a new taxi cab concept. The automaker has long dominated the U.S. taxi market with the venerable Crown Victoria sedan. The Crown Victoria has been the dominant cab in the New York fleet for years — and a favorite among New York taxi cab riders.
New York is the largest purchaser of cabs, according to the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, of Kensington, Md. Second is Chicago, where the dominant cab also is the Crown Victoria.
ENLARGE
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| Could this concept someday replace the king of all cabs, the Ford Crown Victoria? |
