VPG MV-1 First Drive

Nissan made a lot of noise in New York showing off its NV200-van based "Taxi of Tomorrow," so called because it won the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission's contest of the same name. But lost in the party atmosphere was the fact that no contract has been officially signed. Why not? In part because of a court case--Christopher Noel, et al, versus New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, et al,--alleging that the TLC violated Title II, section A of the Americans with disabilities act by selecting a taxi design that is not 100-percent wheelchair accessible, as some of the contending designs were. Last December, Manhattan federal court judge George Daniels ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, but the city won a stay of that decision pending appeal. Oral arguments in the appeals case are scheduled for April 19. What might happen if the NV200 contract unravels?

There is a dedicated taxi/mobility vehicle option tooled, in production, and ready to step into the void, produced by a start-up American car company you may never have heard of. The company is Vehicle Production Group, of Miami, Florida -- a lean start-up funded with $350 million in private equity that began production of its Buy America-certified vehicle in a UAW-staffed plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, last September. This taxicab/limo/wheelchair mobility vehicle, called the MV-1, was on display at the New York International Auto Show. The model name reflects the company's claim that this is the first factory-built mobility vehicle. The design utilizes myriad components from Tier-1 suppliers and was tailored to fit the idled tooling that used to build the Hummer H2. AM General handles assembly, parts, and warranty logistics.

The styling looks like an SUV-ish riff on the traditional London cab, with a low-step-in (or roll aboard) flat floor and oodles of headroom. Dimensionally, it measures 8.0 inches shorter in length, 2.1 inches wider, and 18.2 inches taller than the Crown Vic. The rear doors swing open (90 degrees on the passenger side) to reveal a bench seat wide enough for three amply proportioned passengers. An optional ($349) rear-facing jump seat behind the driver accommodates a fourth, and standard anchoring plates are fitted to secure two wheelchairs, though locking down the second one precludes use of the right half of the bench seat. There is currently no provision for fitting a front passenger seat, though one is being considered, along with a passenger airbag.

Taxi fleet operators will be plenty familiar with the 4.6-liter Ford V-8 engine and four-speed automatic transmission powering the initial run of MV-1s, fueled either by gasoline or compressed natural gas. The CNG option adds $9000 and includes three 3600-psi tanks that raise the luggage-area floor by about 9 inches and provide 320 miles of range. CNG refueling stations are reportedly plentiful in NYC and the fuel is priced some $2/gallon equivalent cheaper than gasoline. Phasing in Ford's 3.7-liter V-6 will eventually stretch that range to 400 miles. The body-on-frame design was designed and developed with assistance from Roush Engineering. The ladder frame incorporates a control-arm/coil spring front suspension and a unique rear setup that combines a Chevy Camaro's differential with a leaf-sprung aluminum tube deDion axle assisted by load-leveling air springs to keep things even when approaching the 6600-pound gross-vehicle-weight rating.