Could the next generation of New York City “yellow cabs” end up coming from Turkey? Karsan, a major Turkish automotive company, certainly hopes so now that it was chosen to be among the three finalists in the city’s competition for a new cab.
Karsan’s somewhat futuristic-looking entry was the only one expressly designed to be a cab, as opposed to a retrofitted model, and is designed to have room for five (plus a stroller) and be wheel-chair accessible. CNN has the story.
For Turkish automotive history buffs, it may be worth noting that Karsan’s chief is Jan Nahum, the same man who in the mid-1970’s designed the “Bocek,” a dune-buggy like car that was supposed to be Turkey’s answer to the VW Beetle Buggy. In fact, after looking at photos of the “Bocek,” it would appear that some of the Turkish bug’s DNA has made it into the design of the proposed NYC cab of the future. More on the “Bocek” here.
via Will the Next NYC Taxi Come from Turkey? | EurasiaNet.org.