BIZCHINA / New Models
Geely unveils 'London black cabs' for local market
(AP)
Updated: 2007-04-23 13:12
It's not exactly the newest car model on display at Shanghai's gigantic
auto show. But the made-in-China "London taxi" definitely reflects the
latest realities of an increasingly global auto industry.
As Chinese youths in red uniforms and Buckingham Palace-style black
bearskin caps stood "guard," Chinese automaker Geely Group unveiled a
sparkling gold version of London's famed black cabs that it plans to
build in a joint venture with Britain's Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc.
Li Shufu (right), CEO of Geely, shakes hands with John K. Russell, chief
executive officer for Manganese Bronze. [Xinhua]
The alliance of odd bedfellows is a godsend for Manganese Bronze as it
seeks to expand outside Britain, and it may well bring Geely the
technology and quality upgrade it needs to compete both at home and
overseas.
"We've been looking for partners in China for many years," John K.
Russell, chief executive officer for Manganese Bronze, said in an
interview on the sidelines of the weeklong auto show, which formally
opens Sunday.
"A lot of the markets we could sell into internationally would like the
product, but they are too expensive," Russell said. With Geely, the
company will be making 20,000 London cabs a year in China while
continuing its current output of 3,000 a year in Britain.
"So we have the opportunity to grow the business way beyond its current
size," Russell said.
Plans call for the venture to also make a limousine based on the black
cab, which debuted in 1948, as well as two passenger cars. Details of
those models have not yet been announced.
It remains to be seen if China's taxi fleets _ whose bare-bones sedans
often have doors that don't close properly and drivers stunningly
unfamiliar with their city streets _ will opt for the cost and luxury of
the London cabs.
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