WELCOME TO THE LONDON TAXI COMPANY

     

                                                                                        

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

A NEW BEGINNING, A NEW WAY OF WORKING AND A NEW NAME

WELCOME TO THE LONDON TAXI COMPANY

LTI Vehicles and Mann & Overton are pleased to announce that as of Thursday 4 November, the company will trade under the new name of The London Taxi Company.

 The new name has been chosen specifically to reflect the company’s core business, its purpose and, by encapsulating the former M&O dealerships, brings these two iconic British institutions under the same name for the first time in their joint histories.

 It is also confirmation of a new way of working.  Following the dealer network rationalisation, customers are now be able to deal direct with The London Taxi Company, buying their purpose-built taxis straight from the company’s now extended dealer network – the company has added to its established M&O network in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, opening a further three retail outlets in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Coventry.

 John Russell, Chief Executive Officer, said: “This really is an exciting new day for us all.  Like the rest of the world, and certainly the automotive manufacturing trade, we’ve seen some tough times. This new name signifies more than simply a re-brand.  It is the culmination of months of discipline, tough decision and determination and a testament to everyone who has worked hard to get us here.”

 The new company also has a new logo, designed specifically to reflect a clear, sustained message and reinforce the company’s new focus. It incorporates three main colours: red, white and blue, plus two additional auxiliary colours, gold and silver. These colours represent the core colours of the British and Chinese flags – a clear confirmation of the importance of the company’s joint venture with Geely.

Images were chosen to reflect the heritage and history of the two companies. Britannia – an indisputable and recognised symbol of Great Britain, and the Geely
six principles or “flags” of leadership – all signifying aspiration and the global future of the company, intrinsically link the partners’ and illustrates the shared vision
and goals.

 Peter Shillcock, Managing Director of the newly formed London Taxi Company, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to reinforce our expertise, iconic product and increasing global presence.  The name and logo were created to reflect our new structure and focus. The removal of third party dealerships is a great example of this new approach, which will directly affect customer service and pricing positively. This is definitely more than just a change of name for us as a company.”

 And the changes keep coming. The London Taxi Company is also unveiling an updated TX4 range, rationalising from three to two models – the TX4 Style and the TX4 Elegance. These new vehicles allow The London Taxi Company the opportunity to have a clear entry level and premium offering, with the Elegance offering including a chrome pack, metallic paint and full air conditioning as standard.

 The new range is priced competitively and starts from £28,403.00 on the road. Drivers buying a Style or Elegance before the end of 2010 will also benefit from the lower rate of VAT as the prices for the two models will increase in line with the Governments announced increase to 20% VAT.

 Rob Laidler, Sales Director, said:”Our new streamlined operation translates into a much improved pricing proposition for our customers. We have been able to reduce the entry level costs considerably on both the TX4 Style and the TX4 Elegance, offering a competitively priced vehicle that is still the best purpose-built hackney carriage in the world.”

 Editors’ notes:

For detailed information on the new TX4 Style and TX4 Elegance range, please refer to The London Taxi sales brochure, contact any of our UK dealerships or visit www.london-taxis.co.uk