Turkish Company Wants to Build Future NYC Taxis in Brooklyn

The Taxi Of Tomorrow might be built in Brooklyn! Karsan, the Turkish manufacturer in the running to build New York’s next generation of taxicabs, is now upping the ante (and changed its tune) by pledging to manufacture the wheelchair-accessible vehicles in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The new pledge makes the Karsan cab the only one of the three finalists which would be built in America (it had previously said it would build them in Turkey).

“We have three strong final contenders, and we are evaluating them as we speak,” is all TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg will say on the topic. But we’re guessing the promise of up to 800 new manufacturing jobs in the city is something that will certainly help the company get more support from local politicians (incidentally, Karsan sent a letter of its intentions to Brooklyn Beep Marty Markowitz). Ford, the only American auto-maker in the running, would make its taxis in Turkey.

Talking to the Daily News, Karsan USA president Bill Wachtel kept the USA-theme going arguing that “For the city to award a billion-dollar contract so foreign jobs can be created would simply be wrong when the jobs can be created right here in Brooklyn as part of the mayor’s waterfront development.”

Karsan already has differentiated itself from its competitors with its model’s wheelchair-access, which many politicians like, and possibly-heat-trapping glass roof. It also has already has the strong support of the people. Now it just needs the TLC to hand it the crown.