New York taxi boss shops for new cabs - Crown Vic's dominance in Big Apple may end

Checker cabs went out soon after the Taxi show left ABC. Taxi's last season on ABC was 1981-82. The last checker came off the line in July

1982. Checker motors still makes body parts for GM.

Jeff

They still make body parts for GM.

There's no problem with using drive train parts from others. Ford and GM do that, a lot.

In addition, the dies that they made body parts were worn out. The design was out-of-date, wasn't aerodynamic and would have to be updated to meet safety standards. Checker elected not to do that.

Jeff

They also used Lycoming engines before WWII.

There's even one former Checker taxi still in use in NYC. The driver will give anyone a free ride in the city. Of course, while he may not charge anyone for a ride, there is no law against people giving him tips, which they do.

A lot of people like riding in the old car.

Jeff

In NYC, they also have Highlander Hybrids as Taxicabs.

I drove in New York City once by accident, once was enough!

Jeff DeWitt

Mike hunt wrote:

Checker Motors shut down automobile production in 1982, but the company still exists (as in Checker Cabs among other things).

Mike hunt wrote:

Toyota already makes a hybrid version of the Sienna but it is not currently sold in the U.S.

It's already phasing in hybrids...

Several yeats ago the NYC Taxi Commission allowed mini-vans for three years, to see if they would hold up as cabs, they did poorly. Why the Mayor thinks they will do any better today is a mistery

When I was still in the fleet service business, the majority of used police cars we sold where taken up by cab compaines, particurally by NYC cab companies

FWD is okay in a pursuit as long as your going straight. The problem arises when you try to turn. The differential will give you a power bias that will screw up the cornering big time. Also, if you have uneven traction on the front tires (one wheel on sand) you're screwed. There is a good reason why all serious, high speed race cars are rear wheel drive and it isn't because the drivers are afraid to learn new tricks.

Jack

Is that the Estima in Japan?

The problem that killed the Checker Cab as a production car is that it costs between $50,000 and $500,000 to make a set of production body panel or frame rail stamping dies for one panel, and each car model takes several dozen die sets to produce.

Mass production carmakers can easily spread the tooling costs out over 100,000 units per year per body style, and the structural stampings for a common platform are often used for multiple models and many model years, making them even more economical. And they stamp and sell replacement panels to the aftermarket for many years using those same dies.

Checker couldn't spend the big bucks needed (I'm guessing $10 Million minimum) to retool for a new car design to meet the safety requirements - even if they sold 10,000 cars a year and didn't have to change the dies again for 12 years or more, they'd still have to charge double what a Detroit production car would run. And unless they can promise double the durability, "No Sale".

The only thing that keeps Avanti Motors and other specialty producers going is the use of fiberglass bodies, because production molds cost a whole lot less than stamping dies.

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Yes. This link describes the Estima Hybrid in English:

English:

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I searched Estima in youtube and this came out.

If they ever do sell them in North America as Taxis I bet thepassengers would love the lazyboy passenger seats. does look smaller than the Sienna and suited for typical Asian bodysize as seen on the 2nd video.

You have to consider the source here as this is the same CNW that said that an H1 would go 379,000 miles on average VS a Prius at 109,000 IIRC. That study has been thoroughly picked apart already many times.

The Japan market Sienna is smaller than the one sold in the U.S. for several reasons. One big consideration is that vehicle registration fees are determined by the vehicle's physical size class, in addition to engine displacement.

Who said anything about 1999? The CV/Marquis is still an old, inefficient platform. Ever see a cop trying to shoehorn a perp into the back seat of one of those things? They're a joke.

That's because most cops don't know how to handle a FWD car, just like the CHP found out that 90% of the deputies they had during the Ford Mustang 5.0 disaster didn't really know how to drive a stick. The lines of 5.0s with burned clutches and crunched boxes outside CHP shops was impressive, to say the least.

Some jurisdictions have gone to FWD, and report no problems and better economy.

Exactly. You'll also remember that for years, NYPD's Plymouth fleets came equipped with 225 slant 6s and 904 Torqueflites. Why have a V8, when the best speed you could do on 5th Ave. was around 25 MPH? MAYBE

45 on the FDR...MAYBE.