Remember the Standard Taxi from the Vehicle Production Group? It's now called the MV-1, and production is slated to begin next year at the AM General plant in Mishawaka, Indiana. That's the same assembly location where the Hummer H2 is built, which makes sense since the MV-1 is based on the same GM underpinnings as the behemoth SUV.
According to its makers, the MV-1 is the first purpose-built wheelchair-accessible vehicle in America, and it's able to accommodate up to six adults or two full-size wheelchairs. An ADA-approved ramp that stows under the vehicle's floor and a 36-inch wide side opening are designed to make entry and exit a simple affair.
With its body-on-frame construction made with fully boxed rails, the MV-1 should prove to be a durable people mover and its well-known GM drivetrain components should also be easily serviceable. Further, VPG has teamed up with Clean Energy to develop a dedicated compressed natural gas powertrain option that will provide a 250-mile range with significantly reduced emissions.
It's hard to believe, but cab drivers in New York City are prohibited by law from talking on cell phones, with or without headsets. That doesn't seem to stop them, says the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. Citing phone-related accident statistics, the commission is now proposing more stringent rules that would raise fines and even keep cabbies from using hands-free devices to chat. "We've tried everything else; there's no other way we can make this work," says Matthew W. Daus, the taxi commissioner.
In the first six months of 2009, only one ticket was issued for every 500,000 cab rides. Cabbies escape prosecution because they claim they were only wearing the hands-free devices, not using them. "Judges have been dismissing summonses because there's no proof of conversation," says Daus. Under the proposed rules, the wearing of a headset merits an infraction. Under the current rules, cab drivers are allowed to talk on cell phones while stopped at a red light. The new rules would require drivers to pull over to answer the phone.
Without a doubt, the cabbies are riled. Calling the proposed rules inhumane, they claim mobile phones are crucial in emergencies and the only way they are able to keep in touch with relatives during their 12-hour shifts. While the drafted rules are subject to public hearings next month, the drivers point out the absurdity of some of the proposals. When one organizer at the New York Taxi Workers Alliance was told that he'd have to pull over to answer a ringing phone, his amusing answer was rather succinct: "Where do you get space to put your car?"
In an oddly compelling little piece of timing, two new American companies are working on taxi designs just after Checker Motors, the most famous of all bespoke taxicab companies, has filed for bankruptcy. We've seen the Standard Taxi before, but it has apparently been restyled a bit after cab owners complained about the initial concept's dowdy appearance. It's a slight improvement by the looks of things, though we certainly wouldn't call the machine attractive. It's what's under the skin that counts, though, and the Standard Taxi looks to implement a number of features that should improve the lives of both its driver and passengers. Like the MetroKing concept that we looked at a couple of months back, this vehicle is based on running gear from General Motors and features a low load floor and easy wheelchair access along with easily replaceable body panels. Production of the Standard Taxi is scheduled for 2010 at AM General's assembly plant in Mishawaka, Indiana.
Although the two events seemingly have nothing to do with each other, a new company called MetroKing has sprung up that hopes of manufacturing cabs in America just as former taxi maker Checker has filed for bankruptcy. Starting with the underpinnings from a two-wheel drive Chevrolet Colorado Chassis Cab Work Truck, MetroKing replaces the pickup bed with a passenger compartment of its own design that features room for six occupants. The company points out that their design is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, being wheelchair accessible through a unique side access ramp. Interestingly, luggage rides alongside the driver on a dedicated tray, there is no passenger seating next to the driver. Thankfully, air conditioning is standard for the passenger compartment.
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The London Taxi is an iconic vehicle that, aside from a double-decker bus, is probably the quintessential British commercial transport. The particular London Cab in these YouTube videos is anything but. Computer specialist Steve Birchall spent nearly £60,000 (around $85k USD) ripping out the car's original diesel powerplant and shoehorning in a whomping big V8. There's very little going on outside to give away the car's secret, unless you look toward the rear. Back there, the fully tubbed monster meats kind of give away the game. Popping the hood, you'll spot a 502cid American V8 that puts out around 500 brake horsepower. That's about quintuple the original motor's horsepower, and it evidently produces 0-60 runs around 4 seconds. While that might sound impressive, you'll have to see the video we've posted after the jump to see what really sets this cab apart. This one can dance. Watch the videos after the jump to see for yourself.
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Checker Motors Corp. stopped making taxicabs over two decades ago, but the company has soldiered on as a parts manufacturer. That ride has been detoured, though, as the company recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The 87-year-old Kalamazoo company filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Friday, Jan. 16. Although Checker stopped production in 1982, the company still has 246 employees making metal stampings and welded assemblies for all of the Detroit 3. The filing makes Checker the seventh major U.S. supplier to file for bankruptcy protection in the past year, and the 54th this decade. Escalating raw material prices and dwindling sales for their customers' products were cited as the main reasons for the filing, but another big reason was labor costs. It's reported that a deal with unionized labor couldn't be reached even after a year of negotiations.
Helmet laws are always controversial, no matter where they are being enacted. In Nigeria, though, the recently-instituted rule that all motorcycle riders and passengers must be wearing helmets has caused an unusual, um... solution, in the form of calabashes, or dried pumpkin shells, worn on the head and tied on with a string. Apparently, these shells are normally used to transport liquids and are quite durable. Sturdy enough to actually provide any meaningful safety in the event of a crash? Not likely. The benefit of the calabash helmets is that they are decidedly inexpensive. Helmets reportedly start at about $29 in Nigeria, and that's pretty pricy for motorcycle taxi operators who now need to provide helmets for their passengers -- especially when many of their fares reportedly attempt to steal them. For comparison, a motorcycle in Nigeria costs as little as $290 and a taxi ride goes for just 50¢. In the absence of an actual picture of a rider with a calabash tied about their head, we bring you a photo of Limecat.
This little gem in Muscat, Oman represents what you do when you have bodacious sums of money and time. Now we're all for having a little fun, but we're talking about an Enzo, which, while not the prettiest of Ferraris, still doesn't deserve to endure the eighth-level of Maaco paint-shop Hell. Whoever did this gets points for authenticity, even including the roof signage. If nothing else, we'd certainly go for a ride: as passenger to get anywhere in seven seconds, as driver, so we could say, imitating the voice of Blofeld, "That'll be one hundred million dollars."
It sure ain't pretty, though beauty, in this case, is likely in the eye of the beholder. A few years back, a new take on the taxi was provided by Standard Taxi, a company based in Troy, Michigan. The design for the purpose-built people hauler uses GM running gear and is able to haul four passengers in relative comfort. We hadn't heard a peep from the company until today when we learned that Standard is now working on negotiations with AM General to build the vehicle in its plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, where AM General builds the Hummer H2 SUV and SUT. So far, no announcements have been made regarding whether or not the plant would continue working full-time in the face of lagging Hummer sales, though we imagine that plenty of excess capacity is available. According to AM General, the deal would in no way impact the assembly of military Hummer models.
We can't say whether a production version of the Standard Taxi would feature the pushrod 4.3-liter V6 that the concept had underhood, though there are plenty of options from the GM parts-bin from which to pilfer. A Standard Taxi equipped with GM's 2-Mode hybrid system could prove to be extremely well-suited for taxi duty in some of the world's toughest environments.
Audi has announced that its superlative R8 sportscar will serve as the safety car for the ever-popular DTM touring car championship, having also served in the same capacity for the recently-concluded 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi's performance division quattro GmbH prepared a pair of R8s for the German racing series – with the second serving as a "racing taxi" – but noted that, "because the R8 possesses the genes of a perfect sports car", little in the way of modification for duty was required.
The pair of R8 support vehicles made its debut at the Norisring Speed Weekend yesterday, where Mercedes-Benz beat out the new Audi A4 DTM with a 1-2 finish.
