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ERIKA WASSER: OK, you want an impression?
(GASPS) That's me in the back of a New York City taxi.
Driving at 88 miles an hour to get to the next red light
scares the bejesus out of me.
But it got me thinking about the future of taxis.
Nissan recently won the bid from New York City to design
the taxi of tomorrow.
I went to the auto show to check it out.
SPOKESPERSON: This is Nissan's taxi of tomorrow.
It is the NV200 is the name of the vehicle.
And it's the first cab to be designed from the inside out
with the passenger's needs in mind.
Things such as USB ports to charge a cell phone.
Really cool.
There's also a 12 volt charger in the back if you would like
to charge it that way.
There's antimicrobial fabric on the seats, and a carbon
lined headliner to help reduce odors in the
back of taxi cabs.
There's also a translucent roof, so you can look up and
see the amazing architecture of the city.
The doors are easy sliding, easy open and close.
And when you open it, a nice step comes out.
There's also a handrail to help you get in and out.
In the back, a really neat feature.
There's lights on the back that indicate which side door
is open, so if you are driving up behind the vehicle, riding
a bicycle up behind it, you'll know if somebody's about to
step out in front of you from the left or the
right of the vehicle.
So it's a great safety feature.
Deliveries will begin in October of 2013, and it's a 10
year roll out process.
Any new taxi that is purchased after October, 2013
will be this taxi.
ERIKA WASSER: The new cabs start hitting the streets
soon, so in the meantime, the only non-sucky thing about
taxis is that our friend Rebecca Robeson of Robeson
Design just became the newest installment of Taxi LXTV.
Big congrats to her.
Even better, she made a behind the scenes video that she
shared with us when NBC came to shoot in her hometown.
You can see that video here, or on your way down Madison.
If your eyes are open.
Let me know what you think about
riding in this new style.
Or sit tight and watch today's episode of Profiles in Design,
about very cool chair people.
Subscribe, comment.
Can't wait to hear from you.
Bye guys.
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