New TX5 London Taxi is the future of ‘Clean’ black cabs

A new London Taxi has been revealed by the London Taxi Company – owned by China’s Geely – as a plug-in hybrid due to launch in 2017.

Assuming a way is found to make the iconic London Black Cab – and Black Cab drivers equipped with ‘The Knowledge’ – viable in the face of competition from Uber, then a future that’s much cleaner is on the horizon with the reveal of a new, plug-in hybrid Black Taxi from the London Taxi Company.

The reveal has been planned to coincide with the State visit by China’s President Xi Jinping (he and David Cameron will be the first to view it) as China’s Geely (owners of the London Taxi Company) show some of the fruits of their £250 million investment in LTC.

The new TX5 taxi is a bit longer and a bit higher than the current cab, but it fulfils all the requirements of a London Cab – like being able to turn on a sixpence outside the Savoy and have enough headroom for gents wearing a bowler – and will be able to seat six in the back.

Geely believe their design – created at Geely’s design studio in Barcelona – is modern enough to be relevant yet retains the iconic look of the traditional cab.

Exactly what the plug-in hybrid offers hasn’t been revealed, although we do know it will have a petrol engine at the front and be able to run as an EV for an extended period.

Production of the TX5 is due to start in 2017 in LTC’s new £50 million plant, designed to produce up to 36,000 cars a year, although only a small percentage of that will be the new London Taxi.