New Ford cab take stabs at fuel-efficient powertrainsNew Ford cab take stabs at fuel-efficient powertrains

If you’re like us, you can remember seas of yellow Ford Crown Victorias dashing through cramped city streets, shuttling tourists and Carrie Bradshaws through New York City.
If you’re like us, you’re also probably old.
Ford on Thursday debuted two new taxis for fleet service next year with twists: one is a hybrid and the other is a diesel.
The former will be a Ford Fusion Hybrid that is related to the Fusion-based police responder and sports the same running gear. When it goes on sale later this year, Ford expects that the Fusion taxi will return 40 mpg city, 36 highway, 38 combined.
The Fusion taxi will sport cloth or vinyl seats (hopefully both are lacquered with some sort of military-grade antimicrobial force field), rearview camera, and a School Bus Yellow paint scheme.
DON’T MISS: Ford Transit Connect Hybrid taxi prototype to appear in Detroit
The diesel-fueled taxi will be an optional engine available in the Ford Transit Connect small van that made its debut at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show. Like the van we saw at the show, the 1.5-liter turbodiesel in the Transit Connect may manage up to 30 mpg highway, going from fare to fare around town.
The 1.5-liter turbodiesel will be available for fleet buyers to order soon, while the Fusion Hybrid and gasoline-powered Transit Connect are available to order now. Deliveries will start by the end of the year, according to Ford.
ALSO SEE: Nissan NYC ‘Taxi Of Tomorrow’: Not Fast, But Great For Riders
Although yellow cabs are now outnumbered in many metro areas, including New York, they still represent a significant number of vehicles on the road and make hundreds of thousands of trips each day. Last year, The New York Times reported that there were more than 13,000 yellow cabs registered in New York, and those cabs made more than 330,000 daily trips in November 2016 alone.

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