The new design comes after a court ruling in June ended a legal dispute over the vehicle.
The Nissan NV200 minivan is now the new standard for New York City's yellow cabs.
The new design, known as the Taxi of Tomorrow, was unveiled on Tuesday. The New York Timesreported that it'll be phased in as owners retire their cabs.
Some owners still will be able to choose from a short list of hybrid and wheelchair-accessible vehicles. But taxi officials predict that 80 percent of the city's 14,000 yellow cabs eventually will be NV200s.
About 750 of the models already are on the street. The vehicle features a sunroof and cellphone-charging outlets.
The new design comes after a court ruling in June ended a legal dispute over the vehicle.
In other transportation news, select New York City buses will be equipped with bike racks beginning next week. The S53 and S93 will be the first to get the racks.
The two bus lines run over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge between Staten Island and the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. The racks, mounted on the front of the bus, hold two bikes each. The New York Postreported that the two bus lines were selected because they are close to bike paths and a college campus.
The year-long pilot program will test whether allowing bikes on the buses will slow traffic. Transportation alternative advocates praised the move.
