Last year Magnesuem Bronze, the manufacturer or Londons iconic black cab unveiled a $100 million dollar deal with Geely to produce the next generation of ‘green’ taxi cab for the streets of London. Well it looks like Geely have done quite a good job on the TX4:
The TX4 will have a 2.4 litre diesel engine with a Euro 4 rating according to our sources.
The TX4 looks like it will be wheelchair friendly:
The rear cab for clients looks quite nice, as does the drivers cab. Apperently the cab will come with options of automatic, or manual shift.
Its a shame it has such a nice rear cab, it will only get covered in puke on the usual weekend routes.
We at China Car Times are wondering what Londons (and other UK cities) cabbies are thinking about this new Chinese made black cab?
Isn’t this just a re-engined, facelifted version of the LTI TX1 and TXII that has been around for 20 years now?
Building it in China is a novelty, but previous versions of the iconic London Taxi were powered for a while by Nissan diesels, so the ‘foreign’ input is not necessarily such a new thing.
Building it in China is a bit more than a novelty, its a huge cost saver! Sure the materials are the same price, but the labor is dirt cheap.
I dont know about these taxis personally but it looks like the outer design has stayed the same as its a ‘corporate brand’ that everyone recognizes and respects as being uniquely British. Most of the changes same to be under the hood and in user friendliness.
The TX1 was released in the late 1990s - so it’s hardly 20 years old (though the chassis is related to the FX4 Fairway, which itself was strengthened/revised from the original Carbodies/Austin FX4/FL2).
I think the grille looks clumsy, and without a major export market for the car, I think that the financial benefits will be somewhat small to making the car in China instead of the UK. Not to mention the additional environmental impact of shipping a UK-market car back to the UK, instead of producing it on the doorstep of the largest client base.
If they’re planning a large-scale move to sell the Taxi in China/surrounding markets, it makes more sense. The construction of the “Taxi” makes it ideally suited to local market modifications.
Look
http://lticrap.mysite.orange.co.uk
PJ Foreman,
I edited your post to the correct URL.
Have a look
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fcK6FQuO7nE
Is that a VM Motori diesel?
I am wondering how the wheelchairs are loaded,and what type of securing devices are used to secure the wheelchairs. What about the width of door? How much headroom is there in the passenger area?
What about electric version?
Thank You
Jim Hyun owner
Bluebird Cabulance