VW Milano Taxi Concept

By Jack Rix

19th April 2010

Forget black cabs, VW's latest concept proves the future of taxis is green! Called the Milano Taxi Concept and finished in the traditional green and black colours of Milan cabs, this show car made its debut this week at the Hanover Trade Show in Germany.

Intended as a study into the viability of a mass-market, zero-emissions taxi, the Milano uses a large lithium-ion battery pack mounted on the underside of the vehicle. The result is a power output of 113bhp, but thanks to a relatively low kerbweight of 1,500kg a top speed of 74bhp and a range of 186-miles is possible on a single charge.

But it's not just the powertrain that's forward thinking. Despite being shorter and narrower than the VW Fox, the Milano can comfortably seat two passengers in the back. The front of the car is taken up with the driver's seat and alongside that a storage area for bags. An LCD display mounted on the back of the drivers seat allows passengers to see an overview of the chosen route, pay the fare or adjust the climate control functions in the back.

The clean and simple styling is said to be influenced by the VW Samba bus from the 50's, but falls into line with VW's range of efficient Up! concepts. VW has confirmed that its first first all-electric vehicle will go on sale in 2013.

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