Autoblog

Click image for a hi-res photo gallery

In the era of the greener taxicab, the extremely capable Ford Crown Victoria is now gauche. Ford knows this, and later this morning in the Jacob Javits Center, it will unveil a new taxi concept that's about as different from the Vic as you can get. The Ford Transit Connect Taxi that was spied last week combines spaciousness and utility with improved fuel economy and reduced emissions thanks to the 2.0-liter four it packs underhood (no hybrid, though, which would be really big in cities like New York). The yellow exterior is offset with matte grey accents, including the combo fascia/bumpers fore and aft.

Passengers ride in an airy cabin that feels even more so in the concept thanks to a vista roof that looks nice but would probably never make the cut on a real fleet vehicle. Ford and Microsoft's Work Solutions package powers the system feeding content to the 13-inch display facing the backseat passengers. In addition to acting as the meter and electronic payment interface, the display also supplies "infotainment" info, live traffic and weather, and GPS functionality. Folks who still pay their fares with wallet cabbage can send their greenbacks forward through the concept's fancy little orb in the rear partition (Ford calls it "Sputnik").

As good as the Crown Victoria taxi is, its days are numbered as cities move to green up their taxi fleets. If the Transit Connect can handle the amount of punishment the Vic regularly endures, it's a pretty compelling package. Not only is it more roomy and efficient than the Vic, it could probably be made readily accessible for disabled riders, too. Ford is intent on showing a variety of uses for its new Euro-sourced work van, and this seems like a good one.

[Source: Ford]

The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. The driver-free robuCab was developed in France by Robosoft, and the technology is limited for now. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground.

The slow-moving robuCab prototypes can carry four passengers, but we're not seeing a lot of luggage space in the pictures above. We also don't see robuCab taking jobs from New York's finest any time soon, as the technology still isn't close to being ready for prime time. Then again, we've already seen enough success with recent driverless car challenges to know anything is possible.

[Source: Engadget]

Click above for more shots of the Ford Transit Taxi.

Our new favorite friend Chris sent us over a handful of shots showing a Ford Transit Connect done up in taxi livery. The black and yellow people mover was apparently caught during a photo shoot in the Big Apple, possibly ahead of its official unveiling next week during the New York Auto Show. While it's hard to make out what mods have been done to the interior, the exterior's revised paint scheme and lettering has a decidedly futuristic feel. We definitely like the idea of a Transit shuttling city-goers around Gotham, and judging by the paint scheme, the 21st century taxis we envisioned in our youth aren't too far off.

We just can't get enough of this saga. First, Michael Schumacher, family in tow, commandeers a taxi to get to the airport. Then the local police decide to launch an investigation into the purported violation of Germany's Personnel Transport Act. Now the cab driver, a hundred euros richer thanks to the champ's generosity, has said that he's considering selling the now-famous taxicab which Schumacher drove in the incident.

The taxi is a nine-seater Opel Vivaro minivan, and according to the driver, he's already been inundated with calls from potential buyers interesting in acquiring the cab. The top offer at the time of printing the story in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag was 63,000 euros.

"I need the money – because of the Schumi-Ride I could be in big trouble with the police," said Tuncer Yilmaz, the owner and driver of the taxi.

[Source: F1-Live]

When news broke of Michael Schumacher's adventure behind the wheel of a taxi in Germany, most of us chuckled at the thought of the multiple-champion driver hustling a cab through the streets of Munich. German police were evidently not quite so amused, and have reportedly launched an investigation into the matter.

Both Schumacher and Tuncer Yilmax, the cabbie whose taxi Schumacher commandeered in exchange for fare plus a 100-Euro tip, are under investigation by the Coburg traffic authority for their respective involvement in the erstwhile-amusing affair.

"That was an offence against transport laws. We will have a hearing," said a local law enforcement official. Schumacher's response: "You just have to laugh about it". We'll go with Michael's approach, but keep you posted on what couldn't very well turn into the court-room drama of the year.

[Source: Autosport, photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty]

Ever found yourself sitting in a taxi, thinking you could pilot that cab much better than its driver? Well, who hasn't, but that's rarely an option. If only everyone recognized your driving talent. Unfortunately most of us don't get that kind of recognition. Unless, of course, you're Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time world champion was with his family in Munich en route to the airport, and like the rest of us, they were running late. Naturally Schumi asked the driver, Tuncer Yilmaz, if he could drive, and the next thing Tuncer knew, he was riding shotgun as Michael did what Michael does best.

Needless to say, the Schumacher family made their flight, landed in Coburg and picked up their new dog from the breeder. (Seriously). The cabbie, for his part, attested to having the ride of his life, and in addition to the fare, got a generous tip.

[Source: F1-Live]

With the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission's October 1 compliance date for installation of GPS-equipped information and payment systems in New York's 13,000 taxis, a driver's advocacy group is gearing up to strike in protest. The source of the controversy is the screen above. The system provides riders with useful info like news and weather, as well as credit card payment functionality and the ability to watch the route the taxi is taking to its destination in real-time. We tried it out during the New York Auto show and found it to be pretty cool and easy-to-use. For tourists, it's a nice setup. The only negative observation our driver made when we asked him his opinion of it was that the system didn't take well to fast inputs when in payment mode. Slower, deliberate taps on the touchscreen worked better.

According to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a non-union group representing drivers' interests, the GPS-based systems are a bad thing, and it claims that its 8,400 members will go on strike September 1 if the TLC doesn't put the kibosh on its fleetwide GPS plan. The organization claims that the systems overreach and are an invasion of drivers' privacy -- a sort of "Big Brother" that'll be used to track cabbies whereabouts at all times. The TLC notes that there are several benefits to drivers in addition to the added functionality it gives riders. Pick-ups and drop-offs are automatically recorded, eliminating the pencil-and-paper system used up until now. Also, drivers will be able to receive real-time traffic info and will gain a measure of protection against the criminals who sometimes prey upon taxi drivers. The GPS should help police track down cars in distress and nab the perpetrators in these situations. Lastly, the TLC says that drivers in cars equipped with the systems already make 18% more in tips. That tidbit has not been part the NYTWA's talking points. According to the TLC, most operators (73%) have already chosen a system ahead of the 10/1 date, anyway. Still, it looks like a showdown between the the TLC and Taxi Workers Alliance is imminent, as the TLC is very unlikely to back down. Whether or not the dustup will actually amount to anything significant remains to be seen.

[Sources: NY1, Newsday via Engadget]

Forget the stock market. If you're in the possession of a NYC taxi medallion, you're sitting on a goldmine. A retiring Pakistani driver who'd been driving a cab in New York for the last 25 years sold his medallion Wednesday for a staggering $600,000 -- an all-time record for such a sale. The medallion, which gives cab drivers the right to operate legally in the city, cost $30,000 when it was purchased in 1981. The new owner is a taxi fleet operator who already owns somewhere around 100 medallions.

Prices have been steadily rising in recent years, and at the last city-held auction, medallions fetched upwards of $500K. Experts feel that the city could bring values down to a more realistic level -- around $300,000 -- if they added 5000 new ones to the pool. Until that happens (if it happens at all), expect to see more astronomical sale values as medallions change hands. There's a limited number of the things out there, and right now, the demand appears to be off the charts.

At this rate, it's probably just a matter of time before we see a reality show about this. Flip This Medallion, anyone?

We covered one of last year's big-money medallion cars here.

[Source: NY Post, via GM Inside News]

click above image to view a sample of NYC's fleet of hybrid taxis

Mayor Mike Bloomberg has announced a plan to require that all New York taxis be hybrids by 2012. This bid to greatly reduce the environmental impact of the 13,000 strong yellow cab fleet, is part of the city's larger plaNYC long-term sustainability program, which also includes the mayor's controversial congestion pricing proposal. Currently, there are around 400 hybrids patrolling for fares in New York's urban canyons. Among them are the Ford Escape Hybrid (above), the Toyota Prius, the Lexus LX400h (we've seen one), the Toyota Highlander, at least one Saturn Vue Green Line, and others.

Mayor Mike says that fuel economy requirements for medallion-seekers will increase to 25mpg in October 2008. In '09 the minimum rises to 30 mpg and also requires that the new cabs be hybrids. While the mayor's announcement formalizes things, we'd spoken to someone who purchased a medallion in the last year who told us that the writing was already on the wall regarding the hybrids. More and more medallions going up for auction were hybrid-only.

According to the Mayor, the financial sting associated with operators being required to shell out extra cash to purchase the greener vehicles should be defrayed by their associated fuel cost savings. AP puts that number at $10,000 per year when comparing a hybrid to a traditionally-powered taxi. And really, taxi duty in a highly-congested, stop-and-go urban environment like New York is the perfect scenario for a hybrid drivetrain, where the fuel-saving and emissions-cutting features are going to be maximized.

The only thing now is, maybe they should just paint 'em all green...

[Source: AP]

Click above image for high-res gallery

Hamann, the same German aftermarket house that created a 673-hp Ferrari 599, has turned its tuning attentions to a milder coupe, BMW's Z4 M. The result is the Hamann Z4 M Coupe Renn Taxi.

They haven't posted the specs, but it looks like a car made for people who wear helmets. Changes include aluminum accessories inside, along with Recaro racing buckets with 6-point harnesses. Outside, larger, slotted discs -- the rears perhaps fed by intakes behind the sills -- a roll cage, and some serious engine bay stiffening complement the aero add-ons. Hamann's last Z4 M workover only upped the horsepower by a paltry fifteen. We would hope they haven't made the same mistake this time.

[Source: Hamann]