Export bid for London cabs
London’s trademark black taxi cabs, beloved of visitors from abroad, may soon be seen buzzing along the streets of other capital cities around the globe.
Manganese Bronze, the Coventry-based company that makes the cabs, is hoping to develop a thriving export trade in the vehicles, which can already be see on the streets of San Francisco and Ottawa.
It has announced plans to set up manufacturing outlets for them in Mexico and China.
The firm’s sales in the UK have slumped in recent times but according to BBC News, the unique design of the cabs is winning them a big fan base in other countries.
At £27,000 apiece, they cost about twice as much to buy as an ordinary saloon taxi in the United States, but their quirky features, including a roof nearly five feet above floor level, which offers greater comfort for passengers, make them very popular.
Ian Pickering, the company’s chief executive told the BBC the cabs were also “rugged and durable”, and would be cheaper to operate because they used diesel fuel. “We’re working on starting an operation in China and also in Mexico,” he said. “We would hope through having these overseas operations we can reduce production costs.”
Ginny McGrath
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