The drama over the selection process for the next generation New York city taxi has not ended.
As reported earlier in this blog, the contender put forward by Turkish carmaker Karsan was recently rejected in favor of a model made by Nissan. One of the reasons given for turning the Turkish option down was Karsan's "inexperience," with Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly saying he was worried Karsan's model wouldn't hold up in New York.
Now Jak Nahum, Karsan's top executive and a fixture of Turkey's automotive industry for decade, is striking back, saying it's Bloomberg who may be inexperienced, at least when it comes to his knowledge of the Turkish automotive sector.
“This is very unfortunate on his behalf. He has not been thoroughly informed about us," Nahum said during a recent visit to New York. "Today, Turkey is among Europe’s most important car manufacturing centers. Investments are gradually increasing and the sector is showing sound growth. Our production infrastructure has been rewarded many times."