Karsan would like to build buses like this for Miami-Dade County in a local manufacturing plant.

[TheAverageJoe]

One of the largest bus builders in Turkey plans to open a manufacturing facility in Miami-Dade County and create at least 80 jobs, if its team wins a compressed natural gas (CNG) contract with the county.

Founded in 1966, Karsan has made more than 113,000 buses and provides a fleet of 550 buses serving Istanbul and its millions of riders, said Vice Chairman Claude Nahum. It also has operations in Italy. He'd like the company to open a plant in Miami-Dade to build CNG-powered buses for the county, and then for other customers in North America.

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2015/03/13/turkish-bus-builder-could-create-at-least-80-jobs.html?page=all

[MAX BRT]

Its very interesting Average Joe!

I think its a risky move on their part and would be a bit risky for Miami-Dade to choose their buses. Gillig is expanding, Proterra and BYD are winning (small) orders and Volvo and NFI have to fill their production slots too. There will be winners and losers unless the market expands--which is tough until Republicans are no longer running the congress. Still, I agree with Karsan that the North American transit bus market has a nice future--especially CNG and electric.

[Mr.Transit]

Foton tried to market and build CNG buses in the North American market three years ago and failed.

[southfloridaintransit]

That would be smooth if this happens, south florida already has the shiniest sleekest buses currently.

Its very interesting Average Joe!

I think its a risky move on their part and would be a bit risky for Miami-Dade to choose their buses. Gillig is expanding, Proterra and BYD are winning (small) orders and Volvo and NFI have to fill their production slots too. There will be winners and losers unless the market expands--which is tough until Republicans are no longer running the congress. Still, I agree with Karsan that the North American transit bus market has a nice future--especially CNG and electric.

get off the two headed one party system.

[RTS_04]

Didn't Karsan promise something similar with the NYC taxi bidding?

[TheAverageJoe]

Didn't Karsan promise something similar with the NYC taxi bidding?

I believe so or it was another company from Turkey that did

[Chris W]

It was Karsan. I have the brochure to prove it.

[roamer]

From what I recall going back to that 2009-2001 time period, NYC really touted the Karsan design for the "Taxi of Tomorrow" and IIRC, it was the frontrunner for a long time. This is the Karsan design ...and here is the Nissan design that eventually won the bid. However, I think I remember their ultimately rejecting Karsan as they were unsure of Turkish manufacturer's ability to produce such an advanced design.

I wonder if the bus will experience the same dilemma? ...will Karsan be able to produce such a technologically advanced bus for the U.S. market. Like the taxi, their emphasis is that it will create U.S. jobs ...a similar stance that BYD supporters make.

I've always felt that a U.S. -based company (or an N.A.company --I keep forgetting that this is a Canadian-based forum and am sure there a many NFI supporters reading this ) should be making transit vehicles for use in the U.S. but it's such a global economy nowadays that I suppose the best we can hope for is that at least U.S. jobs are created for making parts and for final assembly.

[bzcat]

From what I recall going back to that 2009-2001 time period, NYC really touted the Karsan design for the "Taxi of Tomorrow" and IIRC, it was the frontrunner for a long time. This is the Karsan design ...and here is the Nissan design that eventually won the bid. However, I think I remember their ultimately rejecting Karsan as they were unsure of Turkish manufacturer's ability to produce such an advanced design.

I wonder if the bus will experience the same dilemma? ...will Karsan be able to produce such a technologically advanced bus for the U.S. market. Like the taxi, their emphasis is that it will create U.S. jobs ...a similar stance that BYD supporters make.

I've always felt that a U.S. -based company (or an N.A.company --I keep forgetting that this is a Canadian-based forum and am sure there a many NFI supporters reading this ) should be making transit vehicles for use in the U.S. but it's such a global economy nowadays that I suppose the best we can hope for is that at least U.S. jobs are created for making parts and for final assembly.

Nissan NV200 won the bid over Ford Transit Connect because Nissan hired an ex official of the NYC Taxi & Limo Commission. Karsan's entry didn't win because it was vapor ware... the car doesn't exist and Karsan promised to build it if they won the bid. Ford and Nissan presented actual production ready models in the competition.

Ford subsequently sued the NYC Taxi & Limo Commission on interstate commercial clause and won (a local Govt agency doesn't have the power to regulate automotive market). So there is no "taxi of tomorrow" as it stands now... NYC Taxi & Limo Commission continue to approve vehicles from several manufacturers for use as taxi.

[roamer]

Nissan NV200 won the bid over Ford Transit Connect because Nissan hired an ex official of the NYC Taxi & Limo Commission. Karsan's entry didn't win because it was vapor ware... the car doesn't exist and Karsan promised to build it if they won the bid. Ford and Nissan presented actual production ready models in the competition.

Ford subsequently sued the NYC Taxi & Limo Commission on interstate commercial clause and won (a local Govt agency doesn't have the power to regulate automotive market). So there is no "taxi of tomorrow" as it stands now... NYC Taxi & Limo Commission continue to approve vehicles from several manufacturers for use as taxi.

I appreciate that interesting info! I was just following what was going on from a distance and that's why the last I heard is that Nissan had won the bid. So nothing is happening now pertaining to the Taxi of Tomorrow? But I guess I'll have to do some research on my own as it is really off topic for this thread. Thanks, bzcat.

[bzcat]

I appreciate that interesting info! I was just following what was going on from a distance and that's why the last I heard is that Nissan had won the bid. So nothing is happening now pertaining to the Taxi of Tomorrow? But I guess I'll have to do some research on my own as it is really off topic for this thread. Thanks, bzcat.

The "Taxi of Tomorrow" mandate is dead. The courts already ruled NYC cannot force a single model on everyone. The whole thing was kind of a farce anyway... the car that won (NV200) was not from "tomorrow" - in fact, it was a blast from the past. It's a compact van based on the Nissan Versa platform had been in production for almost 5 years and sold everywhere except North America before Nissan trotted it out for the ToT competition.

The goal of ToT was to find the next "iconic" NYC taxi cab... and it ended up choosing a cargo van that is sold everywhere else but in the US. If that's not irony, I don't know what is...

[roamer]

The "Taxi of Tomorrow" mandate is dead. The courts already ruled NYC cannot force a single model on everyone. The whole thing was kind of a farce anyway... the car that won (NV200) was not from "tomorrow" - in fact, it was a blast from the past. It's a compact van based on the Nissan Versa platform had been in production for almost 5 years and sold everywhere except North America before Nissan trotted it out for the ToT competition.

The goal of ToT was to find the next "iconic" NYC taxi cab... and it ended up choosing a cargo van that is sold everywhere else but in the US. If that's not irony, I don't know what is...

LOL, thanks much. Good info.