Everyones getting into the Taxi market

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At least 99.99% of Chinese cities have at least 100 VW Jetta or Santana taxis – we could put down a $1000USD bet on that right now, thats if gambling wasnt illegal in the Peoples Republic of course. It seems that many car makers, both domestic and foreign in China are dying to get into the taxi business. We’ve heard rumors that Qingdao has nearly 6,000 taxis roaming the city center and suburbs, and 99% of those are VW. It seems VW has had quite a strangle hold on the Chinese taxi business for quite some time, and other car makers are looking to break it:

CAR makers are increasingly looking at the taxi market to highlight the reliability and quality of their products.

With thousands of taxis plying streets across China, it may be one of the best promotions for car makers seeking a good public impression.

Those concerned with their brand image as upper-level products, however, have feared that using their models as taxis might compromise their brands.

But it’s a strategy that has paid off for manufacturers such as Hyundai, which has seen sales of its Elantra model soar in China since it sold 20,000 models to Beijing taxi companies in 2005.

Source: Shanghai Daily