Ford Transit Connect Concept

The design of taxis, which are still largely based on passenger sedans, is coming in for a lot of attention recently, with the CityCab a stand-out. Now comes a fresh take on taxis from the the New York Auto Show. When cities ran out of horizontal space at the turn of the 20th century, architects started to build upward. The Transit Connect Taxi concept builds an existing European design and brings that same idea to the streets, changing the shape of the space, making it taller with a smaller and narrow footprint. The resultant cavernous interior has all mod cons plus a huge display detaling the progress of your journey on a user-configurable map.

“Taxis are an important part of the urban landscape, and the TransitConnect Taxi concept represents a potential game-changer, given its small footprint, comfortable, spacious interior, fuel-efficient engine and affordability," said Mark Fields, president of Ford, The Americas. "We're interested to see how people react."

Ford has been a leader in the taxi business for decades. The Ford Crown Victoria is the leader in the taxi market in cities throughout the U.S.

Ford also was the first manufacturer to introduce gas-electric hybrid-powered taxis into North American fleets with the launch of the Ford Escape Hybrid in San Francisco and New York City in early 2005. Today, New York's Escape hybrid fleet has grown to more than 800, including the original 18 that joined the fleet in 2005, still running with the original nickel-metal hydride batteries intact.

The Transit Connect Taxi concept offers a new perspective on how to move people and their gear through congested city streets - more cleanly, efficiently and with new technology that could revolutionize the taxi industry.

Built on a dedicated, commercial vehicle platform and tested to Ford's toughest truck standards, Transit Connect is specially made to meet the extreme demands of taxi service.

With its standard, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, Transit Connect delivers estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city -- a more than 30 percent improvement in fuel economy and nearly 90 percent lower tailpipe emissions than many of today's traditional taxis.

Transit Connect blends well into cityscapes. Its smart, vertical stacked design is able to accommodate three rear-cab passengers and 75 cu. ft. of parcels -- in part because it emulates the city skyline that surrounds it.

In addition to its new shape, the Transit Connect Taxi concept's paint scheme and expressive graphic treatment lend it unique personality. Designers didn't abandon iconic yellow paint - but they did change the formula to a more modern hue that contrasts with deep gray, molded-in-color fender flares as well as front and rear fascias that serve dual duty as impact-resistant bumpers.

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