A £300 million manufacturing plant dedicated to making electric taxis for the domestic and world markets has officially opened in Coventry.

New site in Coventry

The London Taxi Company's (LTC) new site in Coventry, which has created 1,000 new jobs including 200 in engineering, will start producing the new vehicle, the TX5, by the end of this year with exports due to start early in 2018.The opening of the manufacturing plant, which also houses a research and development centre for electric vehicles, marked the completion of a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of the factory, which has been making London's iconic black cabs for almost 70 years.In 2012, LTC was in such a parlous financial state that administrators were called in and a new buyer sought. The following year, the Chinese carmaker Geely bought the business and began investing heavily.

Setting records

Carl-Peter Forster, LTC chairman, said, “The opening of our new plant sets a number of records: it's the first brand new automotive manufacturing facility in Britain for over a decade, the first dedicated electric vehicle factory in the UK, and the first major Chinese investment in UK automotive.“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved today, and we have firmly put our stake in the ground as a new, global automotive leader in urban commercial vehicles.”The Ansty Park site will have the capacity eventually to produce more than 20,000, ultra-low emission vehicles a year, although the immediate target is for 5,000 a year by 2019.

The iconic London taxi

Peter Coulson, the Unite union's regional officer, said, “This is a fantastic story of a company that was on its knees in 2013. Now, thanks to the commitment of Geely's top management and accompanying large-scale investment, the iconic London taxi is set for its continued renaissance.“Tribute should also be paid to the dedicated workforce who have worked hard and diligently to contribute to the current success.“This is fantastic news in terms of highly skilled jobs for our members and the future creation of employment opportunities. It will be a wonderful boost to the West Midlands economy.”

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Peter Plisner, a BBC transport correspondent, commented, “It has been described as one of the great comeback stories in UK manufacturing history – and that is exactly what it is.“It is the first all-new car factory in the Midlands since 2003, when Aston Martin opened its state-of-the-art plant at Gaydon in Warwickshire. That was on a much smaller scale, though.“It is also one of the biggest single Chinese investments in the region and it shows that the West Midlands continues to lead the way when it comes to both automotive research and development, and production.”For related news and features, visit our Enterprise section.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory  Get access to our free Global Mobility Toolkit

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