Shrinking Planet Statistic of the Day: London Black Cabs Now Made Overseas

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  09.04.08 | 4:23 PM ET

imageThese days, London Taxi International has been unable to keep up with demand for its iconic black cabs. So the manufacturer is looking to expand beyond its small Coventry plant, and is headed overseas to—you guessed it—China. A new factory outside Shanghai is slated to produce 6,000 taxis per year, doubling the Coventry output. Rather than being shipped back to England, though, most of the Chinese-made vehicles will be exported to Singapore, Dubai, and other cities that, as the Globe and Mail puts it, “covet the image associated with” London’s famous black cabs.

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* TripAdvisor Names London Top Literary Destination

Photo by jtbarrett via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Tags: Europe, England, London

Eva Holland is a contributor to the World Hum blog. She is also a contributing editor at the Matador Network and at Not Coming to a Theater Near You, and a regular contributor to the Ottawa Citizen. Based in Ottawa, Canada, she loves to write about travel, history, sports, and culture high or low.


3 Comments for Shrinking Planet Statistic of the Day: London Black Cabs Now Made Overseas

Ling 09.05.08 | 3:09 AM ET

Next thing you know they’ll be exporting their accent and the Fish & chips.

London Travel 09.05.08 | 11:22 AM ET

Well, London cabs are a signature of the city. They give this typical London feel when you visit London. If you ever have ridden in one of the Black Cabs you know that they have very comfortable ride, the drivers (cabbies) are very knowledgeable about the tourist attractions and basically all the streets in the city.

PA Turnpike 10.09.08 | 1:51 PM ET

Next you will see the london cabs in New York city.  I like the Black cabs but do people reall care what the outside of there cab looks like.

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