Nissan has unveiled today the new face of its Taxi for London, re-designed to make it instantly recognizable as one of the capital’s iconic black cabs.

The company’s new London Taxi offering is based on the petrol-burning NV200-based taxi already offered in New York, U.S.

Nissan’s new taxi based on the NV200 platform was first unveiled as a new vision for the famous London Hackney Carriage in August 2012. In response to feedback from the London Mayor’s office, Transport for London and other key organizations which have put their backing behind the new taxi, Nissan has redesigned the vehicle to better reflect the iconic nature of the traditional black cab.

Nissan said its newly-redesigned taxi has been developed for London, in London, by Nissan Design Europe (NDE) in Paddington, the same design center responsible for the Qashqai and Juke.

The new taxi will be launched in December 2014 with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and an automatic gearbox; Nissan also confirmed it will launch a zero emission electric version of the NV200 taxi in 2015.

Nissan is not new to the London taxi market – its 2.7-liter TD27 diesel engine was fitted to the FX4 ‘Fairway’ and TX1 black cabs during the 1980s and ’90s and gained a reputation for reliability and durability.

In developing the NV200 Taxi for London, Nissan has ensured that it adheres to the strict TfL regulations governing Hackney Carriages, including the required 25-foot (7.6-meter) turning circle.

Nissan added the NV200 cab for London is part of Nissan’s global taxi program, which also encompasses New York, Barcelona and Tokyo. The London version’s design is bespoke, reflecting the rich heritage and status of London’s black cabs.

Among the specific changes that have been made to the front of the NV200 taxi are:

• Round headlamps and a re-modeled grille mirroring the traditional black cab ‘face’
• LED lighting to improve visibility of the traditional taxi sign
• Completely new front bumper panels

Nissan confirmed it has the intention of putting the NV200 Taxi for London on sale in the Capital in December 2014.

Nissan reinforced it is also forging ahead with its pioneering work in the sustainable motoring field, developing a 100 per cent electric taxi – the e-NV200 – which it aims to have on the streets of London years ahead of the Mayor’s target of 2020 for the development of a zero-emissions taxi. Nissan’s electric taxi will be on the streets of a UK city in 2015.