Ford aims to move taxi concept to New York streets

By Karey Wutkowski

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) is aiming to grow its share of the U.S. taxi market with a van billed as a contender to be New York City's cab of the future.

Ford launched the high-riding Transit Connect Taxi concept vehicle, a fuel-efficient yellow and gray van topped by a glowing orb to show when it's free for fares, on Wednesday at the New York auto show.

"It's a new take on how cities can ferry people around the urban landscape," said Mark Fields, Ford's president for the Americas, adding that the concept taxi would be about 30 percent more fuel efficient than the city's current fleet.

Ford's Transit Connect concept taxi has a vista roof, cavernous ceilings, a flat screen with a rolling update on the fare and a touch screen for checking news or paying by credit card.

Ford has about 76 percent of the U.S. taxi market, and the No. 2 U.S. automaker wants to grow that, officials said.

Ford chief designer Ehab Kaoud said Ford has submitted the concept to New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission for its "Taxi of Tomorrow" project.

Last month, New York asked for information submissions by April on how the city might create an environmentally friendly "iconic taxi." Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year ordered that all city taxis be hybrid by 2012.

Taxi commission Chairman Matthew Daus would not comment on Ford's chance of supplying the city's next-generation taxi, if it comes about. The city agency licenses 13,150 yellow taxicabs and more than 44,000 taxicab drivers.

Ford lost $2.7 billion in 2007 and $12.6 billion in 2006 and has been cutting production and pulling back on sales to less-profitable fleet operators such as car rental agencies.

(Editing by Tomasz Janowski)