Nissan NV200 – adopted into taxi fleets

The Nissan NV200 has recently been adopted into taxi fleets in New York and London due to its impressive interior space – this fuel-efficient van is one of the most versatile fleet or delivery cars for its price class.

Here is a quick look at why many businesses – small and large – are turning to the NV200 for various purposes:

Spacious interior versus surprisingly compact exterior

Nissan calls this vehicle a “compact cargo vehicle” which is a fitting description. The cargo floor has a width of 1.22m at its narrowest point and offers over 2 metres of length – which can be further expanded to 2.8 meters by simply folding the front passenger seats forward The cargo floor is also the lowest in its category, at 524mm, which offers a cargo volume of around 25% more than the vehicle classes average. In addition, you can select the refrigerated option. This makes it ideal for transporting cargo including delivery of small stocks of food and home appliances. It is also useful for builders and plumbers, offering good dimensions for tools and ladders or to act as a small removal or courier van.

Conforming well to legislation on disability and emissions

In 2012, the NV200 was unveiled as an option for a London cab. This has been an extremely suitable target market for Nissan because of two important factors:

1) It is a concern for the UK Government to ensure cabs abide by the Disability Discrimination act which now entails cabs including rails for support and having enough space to accommodate guide dogs or wheelchairs

2) Mayor of London Boris Johnson is welcoming lower emission vehicles as part of a Cleaner Air strategy and Nissan is in the final development phase of a zero-emission version, the e-NV200, which is scheduled for launch later this year.

According to Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association: “Nissan already has a great footing in the London taxi market – the 2.7-litre diesel that featured in some of the early taxis was one of the greatest engines ever put in a cab”.

He added that the NV200 London taxi ticks all the right boxes because not only is it accessible, reliable and comfortable but it also looks the part.

Commercial award promising reliability

In 2010 it was the International Van of the Year (IVoY) winner as decided by a jury of journalists which represented a large readership of commercial van owners across Europe. Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor Co said that with the NV200 they are offering their customers a vehicle that is ‘an efficient and reliable business tool’. According to Palmer the design was fueled by a determination to create innovative light commercial vehicles that surpass expectations.

Good performance and impressive specs for its price

Local dealership, Group 1 Nissan’s team personally tested out the NV200’s performance in Cape Town. They put the maximum weight allowance of 783kg in the cargo hold and drove through Cape Town. With the Multi Point Fuel Injected 5 Speed Manual Engine, they were pleased with the responsiveness of the vehicle, even when tested to the limit.

Priced from R199,900 for the panel van, the NV200 is priced up to R117 000 cheaper than other makes in its class.

The e-NV200 is set to combine the best aspects of the NV200 with the Nissan Leaf

The sales pitch on the e-NV200 is that it will help business to be ‘greener’. While in the development phase of this adaptation, Nissan carried out a test programme in Japan and Europe by supplying the prototypes for the use in the fleets of a diverse range of courier, services, furniture and beverage firms including British Gas, FedEx, Coca-Cola, KEA,  DHL and the Japan Post Office. They then used this feedback to fine tune the vehicle, making it tailored specifically as a fleet vehicle for a broad range of businesses.

Well-priced, spacious and fuel-efficient, Nissan has once again shown that they have an impressively competitive business strategy spanning many areas of the automotive industry. If they continue playing their cards right, the e-NV200 will become commonplace among commercial fleets, especially in countries which are actively working on reducing their carbon footprint.

Source: as posted on http://www.cbn.co.za/