Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

They’re a British icon—but now the factory that makes London taxis has run out of cash
Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 22:36 EST, 3 December 2012 | Robert Hardman

Posted on 12/03/2012 10:15:40 PM PST by Olog-hai

The entire production line has stopped mid-flow as if someone has pressed a giant “pause” button. Time stands still—literally. The clock above the factory floor has conked out, too. Scattered tools and wrenches bear witness to half-finished jobs which simply stopped on the afternoon of October 30. For that was the sorry moment when the company that makes one of the most famous vehicles in the world went into administration. …

The (London Taxi) Company has shed half of the 300-strong workforce since going into administration following a series of financial and technical problems. I have come to meet the core team who are now on standby to resume production. But if no new owner can be found, then what? …

Several car makers have tried to establish a foothold in the black cab market. Some failed to crack the 28-foot turning circle. Others produced designs which might politely be described as hideous or which failed to meet new emissions standards. Most challenging of all are the sums: how do you develop a design which a) complies with all these regulations and b) sells enough models to recoup your investment in such a tiny market? And that is the problem that has brought the London Taxi Company to its knees. …

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS: blackcab; london; regulations; uk
Original Daily Mail long title:

End of the road for the Black Cab? They’re a British icon—but now the factory that makes London taxis has run out of cash. And without a rescue, it’s doomed.

Sounds like a couple of similarities to what happened to the Checker Marathon, even though we did have a non-taxi version of that for a long time, and no US city had absurd regulations to dictate specifics of taxicabs. I do miss the Checkers; tough design, and nothing that followed could measure up.
1 posted on 12/03/2012 10:15:55 PM PST by Olog-hai
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

well, raise their taxes, that’ll fix it


2 posted on 12/03/2012 10:18:12 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

No, no. You’ve got it wrong. You’re supposed to subsidize them when they stop moving.


3 posted on 12/03/2012 10:26:27 PM PST by MetaThought
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

I remember driving to work one day a few years ago, I saw a London Taxi here in the Pittsburgh area, it was one of the old Austins. I thought, I sure would hate to pay that cab fare. B-)


4 posted on 12/03/2012 10:41:03 PM PST by Nowhere Man (It is about time we re-enact Normandy, at the shores of the Potomac.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

If I remember right, it almost had a dance floor in the back. No worries about leg toom or getting in or out.

5 posted on 12/03/2012 10:58:44 PM PST by mountn man (ATTITUDE- The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mountn man

I loved those taxis!
Sitting in the back was comparable to sitting in the back of a Silver Shadow. (minus the little fold down tables)


6 posted on 12/04/2012 3:24:49 AM PST by Bobalu (It is not obama we are fighting, it is the media.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

7 posted on 12/04/2012 3:29:16 AM PST by Bobalu (It is not obama we are fighting, it is the media.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MetaThought

Just need a new design.....

8 posted on 12/04/2012 4:03:51 AM PST by Average Al
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: mountn man

My first car was a very used checker.

100 dollars.

Could carry the whole hockey team in the back.


9 posted on 12/04/2012 4:54:47 AM PST by maine yankee (I got my Governor at 'Marden's')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

Export them to the US. I would love to ride in one.


10 posted on 12/04/2012 6:16:13 AM PST by buffaloguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

“how do you develop a design which a) complies with all these regulations”

I think I found the heart of the problem.


11 posted on 12/04/2012 10:32:27 AM PST by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson