what the hell is this ugly committee made thing? VPG MV-1. Have you seen one of these in forever?

Founded in the mid-2000s with $350 million in private equity (along with $50 million from the U.S. Department of Energy), Vehicle Production Group, more commonly denoted VPG, was a Miami-based automotive startup with an eye on capturing a piece of the mobility service market. 

 

The MV-1 was VPG’s second model — think of it as an Americanized version of the iconic London taxi. Built on an old AM General production line in Indiana that had been left dormant with the discontinuation of the Hummer H2, the MV-1 used a number of Ford and GM parts bin components and originally featured the tried-and-true 4.6-liter Ford V8. Proving to be a viable solution within the mobility market, the VPG MV-1 became a not-that-uncommon sight in urban areas starting around 2010.

A major turning point for VPG came when then-NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg announced an initiative to standardize the city’s taxi fleet, calling for automakers to submit ideas for one uniform “taxi of tomorrow.” The VPG MV-1 made a strong case, as it was designed and built in the U.S. by an American company, and it utilized readily available, easy-to-fix components and featured an integrated, ADA-compliant wheelchair ramp. VPG claimed it was ready to start building 70,000 units annually were it to win the contract. Unfortunately, in the spring of 2011, the contract was awarded to Nissan and its NV200 taxi van. Not long after this major inflection point, in 2013, VPG closed its doors and ended production of the MV-1.

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/what-car-vpg-mv1-269586

I haven't seen one of these in 9 years... I'd only vaguely recalled ever seeing something like this... https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-only-taxi-for-wheelchairs-in-san.html it was a taxi for people with wheelchairs