Volkswagen has unveiled the Taxi Concept in London, based on the upcoming Up! / Lupo city car.
The Taxi Concept already previewed as the Milan Taxi Concept in Germany, is the brainchild of Klaus Bischoff, who heads the design team at Volkswagen. Bischoff was on hand in Central London at the unveiling of the concept taxicab.
Powering the Volkswagen Taxi Concept is an all-electric set-up that features a 115 PS (85 kW / 113 bhp) electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack with a 45 kW/h capacity. Charging the batteries to 80 percent takes about an hour.
Range on a fully-charged Taxi Concept is a healthy, if optimistic, 186 miles (300 km) and top speed clocks in at 74 mph (119 km/h).
The Taxi Concept is compact, staying true to the spirit of the Up! upon which it is based. It is 3,730 mm long, 1,680 mm wide and 1,600 mm tall.
Keeping it very local, it sports the City of London's coat of arms on each of the front doors and a cheeky, MINI-referencing Union Jack on the roof.
