Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[London Black Taxi manufacturer sold to China's Geely]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/04/london-black-taxi-manufacturer-sold-to-chinas-geely/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/04/london-black-taxi-manufacturer-sold-to-chinas-geely/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/04/london-black-taxi-manufacturer-sold-to-chinas-geely/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

London black cabs

Geely, the Chinese company that also owns Volvo, now owns Manganese Bronze Holdings (MBH), makers of London's Black Cab. MBH went into administration late last year, and some had looked to Geely to rescue the company in which it had a 19.7-percent equity stake. Although it's taken three months to strike a deal, and more than half of the workforce was let go, Geely finally agreed to buy MBH for 11.4 million pounds ($17.9M US).

The purchase confers to Geely "the business and principal assets" of MBH, including the intellectual property and trademarks, equipment, properties, unsold stock, "goodwill" and complete ownership of the China-based joint venture in which Geely was producing the Englong SC7-RV. Happily for fans of the iconic product, the deal keeps production in Coventry and Geely has stated its desire to reestablish and grow the firm.

Reasserting authority in the UK taxi market and getting back in the good books of owners will take money and commitment. Manufacturers like Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have been poaching former owners of LTI products, and what current owners have seen as a lack of service and support has turned apathy into ire. Geely will need to put the time and money into new, competitive and reliable models to make a success of its latest purchase. If those new models can retain the Black Cab's aesthetic place in the London streetscape, all the better for it.

London Black Taxi manufacturer sold to China's Geely originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>administrationbankruptcyblack cabgeelylondonlondon taxiLondon Taxis Internationalltimanganesemanganese bronzemanganese bronze holdingsMon, 04 Feb 2013 08:45:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20446955/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/02/04/london-black-taxi-manufacturer-sold-to-chinas-geely/20446955/article-detail.xml 20446955 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/london-black-cabs_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/london-black-cabs.jpg <![CDATA[London Black Cab maker struggling for survival]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/24/london-black-cab-maker-struggling-for-survival/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/24/london-black-cab-maker-struggling-for-survival/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/24/london-black-cab-maker-struggling-for-survival/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The roots of London's Black Cab dig all the way back to the Austin FX3 of 1948, the current overall shape recognized by any modern visitor to London showing up in 1958 on the Austin FX4. Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc has been the company behind the Black Cab since 1984, but failing to invest in the product and increased competition have sent the icon into administration. Manganese has posted losses since 2008, sold a share of itself to Geely (yes, that Geely) in 2010, and had to post a 3.9 million pounds loss this summer due to an accounting error blamed on a new IT system. Unable to secure additional funding from Geely or any other investor, the company's been forced to enter the UK version of bankruptcy.

Manganese is considered the last Coventry-based auto manufacturer. However, manufacturing was moved to China after the Geely deal and the parts are merely assembled in Coventry. That hasn't provided the expected savings, and when the new TX4 cab needed to be recalled earlier this year over a steering fault, the money crunch got tighter. On top of that, Manganese owners have been complaining about service for years, Mercedes has been swiping customers with a Black Cab Vito, Nissan is poised to swipe more with its NV200. Point being, it has a great deal of work to do in order to be a going concern again.

A statement released by the company says, "The Board remains hopeful that the fundamental strengths of the company, the TX4 model and its global reputation will provide the platform for a successful business in the future."

London Black Cab maker struggling for survival originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>administrationbankruptcyblack cabgeelylondonmanganeseWed, 24 Oct 2012 15:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20357680/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/10/24/london-black-cab-maker-struggling-for-survival/20357680/article-detail.xml 20357680 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/london-black-cab-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/london-black-cab-628.jpg <![CDATA[Irish cabs installing video cameras to guard against false rape allegations]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/05/irish-cabs-installing-video-cameras-to-guard-against-false-rape/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/05/irish-cabs-installing-video-cameras-to-guard-against-false-rape/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/05/irish-cabs-installing-video-cameras-to-guard-against-false-rape/#commentsFiled under: ,



While installing video cameras in taxicabs is nothing new for reality television producers - witness the voyeuristic Taxicab Confessions, and the downright delightful Cash Cab - hack drivers in Derry, Northern Ireland have gone high-tech for considerably more practical, and darker reasons.

Following an incident in which a drunken passenger attempted to grab the steering wheel while the car was in motion, one savvy Irish cabbie installed a closed circuit television system into his taxi. The move apparently paid off, as the driver in question was later attacked by another fare, and has successfully used footage from the camera to help prosecute his assailant.

Customer-on-cabbie violence isn't the only reason that some of Derry's largest taxi companies, along with many individual drivers, are going the CCTV route. After at least one failed accusation of rape last year, drivers believe that in-car cameras will give them evidence of professional behavior, as well as offering a higher sense of security to their female passengers.

Jarlath Malone, proprietor of Derry cab company Foyle Delta, said, "I know a lot of drivers who will not work at night because of fears of being attacked or robbed but the biggest fear they have is of being falsely accused of rape."

Irish cabs installing video cameras to guard against false rape allegations originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black cabcabcctvnorthern irelandrape allegationstaxiWed, 05 Sep 2012 17:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20315912/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/09/05/irish-cabs-installing-video-cameras-to-guard-against-false-rape/20315912/article-detail.xml 20315912 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/09/black-cab-taxi-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/09/black-cab-taxi-628.jpg <![CDATA[Check out Nissan's NV200 in London black cab livery [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/06/check-out-nissans-nv200-in-london-black-cab-livery-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/06/check-out-nissans-nv200-in-london-black-cab-livery-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/06/check-out-nissans-nv200-in-london-black-cab-livery-w-video/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Nissan NV200 London 'black cab'

The little black cab is to London what the yellow Ford Crown Victoria has been up to New York City. With the departure of Ford's Panther platform, Nissan has stepped in with its all-new NV200, which will soon be spreading like kudzu over NYC streets. It seems that London may also share the Big Apple's fate in adopting Nissan's new minivan as its taxi of choice.

The NV200 will scoot around London's tight city streets with the help of a 1.5-liter inline four, making 89 horsepower, but more importantly, returning 53 miles per gallon. That fuel-efficent engine also results in a 50-percent dropoff in CO2 emissions compared to the older cabs. It also meets the requirement of having a turning radius of 25 feet or less.

In terms of the rider's experience, the NV200 looks to be a vast improvement. The sliding doors provide easier access on either side of the vehicle, which has seating for five. The front passenger seat has been removed in favor of extra storage space, and there's a USB charging port located in the passenger cabin.

Nissan says its NV200 complies with all handicap regulations and has been approved by the London Taxi Drivers Association and disability groups, and that it will be priced "significantly below" the London Taxi Company's TX4, the current version of the UK's iconic black cab.

All well and good, but can it be turned into a hotel room? We shall see. Check out Nissan's new cab in the videos available by scrolling down.

Continue reading Check out Nissan's NV200 in London black cab livery [w/video]

Check out Nissan's NV200 in London black cab livery [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black cabliverylondonlondon taxinew taxinissannissan nvnissan nv200nissan vannv200taxivanvideoMon, 06 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20294001/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/08/06/check-out-nissans-nv200-in-london-black-cab-livery-w-video/20294001/article-detail.xml 20294001 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/lodon-taxi-nv200-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/lodon-taxi-nv200-628.jpg <![CDATA[New low-emissions London Black Cab to be based on Mercedes-Benz Vito Traveliner]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/new-low-emissions-london-black-cab-to-be-based-on-mercedes-benz/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/new-low-emissions-london-black-cab-to-be-based-on-mercedes-benz/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/19/new-low-emissions-london-black-cab-to-be-based-on-mercedes-benz/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Londoners could be swapping out black cabs for black vans pretty soon. EcoCity vehicles, through its subsidiary KPM-UK, has worked with LTI, the maker of the famous black cab, for almost 20 years. Now EcoCity has signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to produce cabs out of Vito Traveliner vans, which produce lower emissions than the LTI offering.

With 93-percent of the London taxi market owned by black cabs, we wouldn't expect to see Traveliners dominating The City any time soon. For EcoCity, it was more about offering a more environmental choice for drivers and customers. Former mayor Ken Livingstone was a big proponent of that, if you'll remember. And for the city of London, it could mean less of the brown stuff in the air. The Traveliner taxi will be launched next week, and go on sale shortly after.

[Source: The Telegraph via Carscoop]

New low-emissions London Black Cab to be based on Mercedes-Benz Vito Traveliner originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black cabBlackCabecocitylondonltilti taxiltitaxitaxistravelinervitovito travelinerVitoTravelinerThu, 19 Jun 2008 06:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1227102/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/06/19/new-low-emissions-london-black-cab-to-be-based-on-mercedes-benz/1227102/article-detail.xml 1227102 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/vito_to_black_cab_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/vito_to_black_cab.jpg -1 2