Taxi Driver Online

Mercedes Van Ousts Traditional London Cab

29.09.09

Is the familiar London black cab which can “turn on a sixpence” at risk of disappearing from the capital's streets?

Greener and roomier with space for six passengers, the newly licensed Mercedes Vito — with 400 sales over the past year — has already captured 25% of the new London black cab market.

Private forecasts from the taxi rank suggest that the £35,000 air-conditioned Mercedes could be outselling the Manganese Bronze's TX4 — the traditional black cab model — within a year.

Eco City, the AIM-listed company which helped out on the rear-wheel steering development of the Mercedes taxi says that its subsidiary KPM-UK — which sells both the Mercedes taxi and the TX4 — is reporting that the Vito is outselling the TX4 at a rate of four to one on its forecourt.

Peter DaCosta, the former cabbie who is Eco City's chief executive said: “The new Mercedes-Benz taxi, is rapidly gaining market share and the cabbies love it.

“For the cabbie the Mercedes is giving him 27 or 28 miles per gallon compared with 20 mpg on their old model if they're are lucky. That's £7 or £8 a day, £40 or £50 a week. That matters.

“And corporate London is going out of its way to order the Mercedes taxi. Why wouldn't they when the alternative could be a 15-year-old cab without air-conditioning and in which the passengers are not comfortable?”

Eco City today reported it had cut its half-year losses by 80% to £131,000 on sales up 20% at £12 million.

Source; London Evening Standard; standard.co.uk - ThisIsLondon.co.uk


ALSO


MARKET REPORT: From MailOnline

28th September 2009

Extract from the above article

Eco City Vehicles, the Aim-listed distributor of London black cabs, eased ⅛p to 2¾ p ahead of today's interim results. The company co-develops and helps manufacture the Mercedes Benz Vito taxi at its Coventry plant. Word is the Vito has been outselling its Manganese Bronze black cab rival by 4-to-1, taking 25 per cent of the new taxi market.

Source; Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/articl ... z0STfFAyb7

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Hardly surprising if true. If I had to purchase a black cab it wouldn't be the traditional London taxi

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I would

CC

(the Vito has been outselling its Manganese Bronze black cab rival by 4-to-1, taking 25 per cent of the new taxi market. )If Manganese Bronze are already struggling how are they going to be able to continue, is this the start of a slow death

Is there a problem with putting the benefits of the traditional London taxi on a vehicle that has the benefits of something a bit more stylish and comfortable

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

The TX isn't as bad as some would let you believe, lets see how good the mercedes is when it gets a few miles on the clock, when the rear wheel steering starts playing up and when cab owners have to start fitting mercedes original parts.

CC

Being able to carry 7 passengers is also a big carrot

The Tx can carry vegtables too

I don't know why you're so shocked, it can be driven by quite a few too

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

No Captain, it can & does carry vegetables as do most taxis on shopping trips.

But it is vegetables that buy the archaic monstrosity that hasn't had any innovation in it's design for decades, whilst the rest of the motor industry leaps ahead.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

But the rest of the motor industry isn't a market we can have, we are stuck with the LTI product, or the van conversions, most of which are assembled by former nazis, former **** collaborators or former italian fascists

CC

Perhaps Kapitan Kab would be a better name for you!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

You do realise when I ask how do you mean....the jokes going to lose its punch

CC