The New York Taxi Commission has passed regulations removing Lexus from the approved taxicab list, arguing the cars are too powerful, according to a New York Times report.

In the coming years, the city will be stripping the streets of nearly all taxicab variety, as most new vehicles will be the Nissan NV200 van, the newly approved Taxi of Tomorrow, the report further added.

The Lexus taxi first came in 2006 when a taxi fleet was testing these particular models. These vehicles were modified for taxi use with additions like roof lights, a camera and of course, a yellow paint job.

The Taxi of Tomorrow from Nissan will replace the 16 models now on New York's streets. The 10-year contract is expected to begin in 2013, when older models will begin to be phased out over the next three to five years.

The city of New York has over 13,000 cabs in operation, where the Ford Crown Victoria reigns supreme accounting for more than half of the city's taxis. But that is about to change since the Taxi and Limousine Commission just selected the Nissan NV200 as the Taxi of Tomorrow, which is an effort to encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly vehicles.

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