New York City Taxi Fleet Expands With Approval Of Nissan Altima, Chevy Impala

With Taxi and Limousine Commission's workhorse Ford Crown Victoria going out of service this year, and Nissan's NV-200 still two years away, the TLC has been approving new models for cab usage, including word that the TLC has approved the Chevrolet Impala and Nissan Altima as additions to the City's yellow cab fleet.

The Nissan Altima cabs that were previously approved for cab duty were all hybrids and now its gasoline-powered (and American made) counterpart finally has approval for cab duty. The approval though, is a short one; just until October of 2013. That's when Nissan's Cab of Tomorrow, the NV-200 starts its ten-year contract as the City's exclusive cab.

The Chevrolet Impala was the other car that the TLC approved for use as a cab. Like the Altima though, the Impala will only be able to be purchased and pressed into cab duty until October of 2013. The current backbone of the City's fleet, the Ford Crown Victoria finally goes out of production this year and according to Nissan, the company is still doing preliminary engineering and production planning on the NV-200. That leaves a two year window where New York City's cabbies no longer have a go-to model. The TLC expanded its list of approved cabs, giving its drivers some much-needed short term options. The Altima, Impala, Transit Connect, and Taurus will join a diverse list of fifteen other models, including everything from the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid, to the Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec and Audi Q7 TDI in the city's cabbie fleet until 2013.

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