Following the acquisition of London Taxi Co. in 2013, after obtaining a stake in the company in 2006, China’s Zhejian Geely Holding Group is expanding its operations.
Geely, which is also the owner of Volvo Car Group, will supply at least 1,000 units of the iconic cabs over the next five years to major cities in Australia and New Zealand, having signed 10-year contract, worth more than 405 million yuan ($62 million), as AutoNews reports.
The announcement follows Geely’s plan to invest an additional 300 million ($428 million) to build an assembly plant and a Research and Development center in Ansty, England, close to the current London Taxi facility in Coventry, which is in charge of assembling the TX4 for export. The new factory will manufacture up to 36,000 vehicles each year, 10 times the annual production capacity of the current plant.
Oz residents at Perth already have a fleet of 100 TX4s at their disposal, and the iconic London taxis are also serving Canberra, Wollongong and the South Coast with different vehicles that cover special celebrations like weddings and can also be hired for airport transfers, sightseeing or corporate events.