these look great...

The New York City taxicab is many things: an instantly recognizable symbol of the city, a beacon of upward mobility for industrious immigrants and a fast way to travel crosstown.

One thing it is not: a stylish, avant-garde mode of transport known for comfort, elegance and technological sophistication.

A large group of designers, artists and planners, who have taken care to include fleet owners and government regulators in their discussions, hope to change all that.