A look back at the past of the future of taxis

Back in 2007, AM New York took a look at some taxi concept cars during the 100th anniversary of the NYC taxi at the New York International Auto Show:

Even then, the city was anticipating the eventual demise of the Crown Victoria, which has been the standard taxi since 1996. Not long after the 2007 auto show, the first hybrid taxis began to enter service, with Mayor Bloomberg proposing that all taxis be hybrid vehicles by 2012 – an initiative that was later dropped after pressure from the TLC over the increased maintenance costs of hybrids.

With the end of Crown Victoria production now scheduled for 2011, the Taxi and Limousine Commission recently conducted the Taxi of Tomorrow competition, with car companies submitting their proposals for the next NYC taxi. Read the results of the Taxi of Tomorrow survey, which showed Turkish auto maker Karsan’s concept getting the highest approval rating. However, the survey results were simply used to gauge the public’s interest and the TLC will make the final decision on which vehicle best meets the demands of daily taxi usage.