HUMMER H2 Plant Gears up to Produce Vehicles for the Disabled

You may be saying to yourself, “I thought AM General was going to produce taxi cabs?” Well, this is the evolution of the Standard Taxi called the MV-1, and it’s going to be built soon at the H2 plant in Mishawaka, Indiana.

The crew at VPG autos realized that if they just changed the color scheme of their Standard Taxi they could broaden their list of potential clients. For that reason, they will begin production during the second half of 2010 of their Mobility Vehicle called the MV-1, a vehicle designed from the ground up to meet the needs of the disabled.

“That means that it is not a conversion,” Don Apruzzese, the VP of Marketing for VPG Autos told the South Bend Tribune. “There is no other vehicle on the market that is wheelchair-accessible and not converted.”

The vehicle will have three target markets: Taxi Services (as originally planned), Paratransit (mobility impaired), and general consumers. Currently, the only wheel-chair accessible vehicles are modified vans, buses, and SUVs – a fact that VPG is hoping to capitalize on with the MV-1 that is ready as soon as it rolls off the assembly line.

Official pricing hasn’t been released, but Apruzzese expects the rear-wheel-drive vehicle powered by a GM 4.3L V6, to be available for under $40,000.

Source: South Bend Tribune (Subscription Req’d)