2,000th TX4 rolls off the production line

Proud workers at LTI Vehicles, manufacturer of the world-famous London taxi, were celebrating as production of the TX4 model reached the 2,000 milestone.

The TX4 is the latest incarnation of the motoring icon, keeping the distinctive shape that has made it instantly recognisable around the world but with a host of hi-tech refinements.

Order books both in the UK and abroad have been bulging since its launch at Lords cricket ground last October, with production levels stepped up to keep pace with demand.

So there was no rest for the team at the Coventry factory as the 2,000th TX4 was completed.

As the milestone was passed, a team from the company showed off the TX4 at the Private Hire and Taxi Exhibition 2007, held at the Ricoh Arena in its home city.

The vehicles captured the attention of both visitors and other exhibitors alike, with scores of test drives being completed over the two days as well as people being ferried from the site in a TX4 for a tour of the Holyhead Road factory.

Matthew Cheyne, Sales and Marketing Director with LTI Vehicles, said: “To have reached such a landmark figure so soon after production started is quite incredible for us. It is a testament to the hard work of our employees and the quality of this latest London taxi.

“We have increased production levels at the factory with extra shifts so we knew the magical 2,000 was coming up, but now we have already left that behind as we continue to work overtime to meet orders.

“Since the TX4 was first revealed to the world, the demand for it has been unprecedented. We have had drivers ordering them without seeing them, cabbies who have not switched their vehicle for some years clamouring to get one and many drivers selling other models to switch into a purpose-built taxi for the first time.

“There seems to be no let up in the demand for the vehicle so our staff on the production line had no time to pause for breath as the 2,000 th TX4 sailed through.

“The Private Hire and Taxi exhibition in our home city was a great place to celebrate the achievement and seemed to capture the imagination of many visitors who had travelled from all over the country to see what was on offer in the industry.”

LTI Vehicles, which has been making purpose-built taxis at its Coventry base since 1959, invested £5.5 million in developing the TX4.

It retains more familiar features from previous models, such as the famous, Public Carriage Office-compliant 25-foot turning circle, retractable ramps for wheelchair users, induction loop, driver safety screen and the remodelled suspension, but also boasts a new VM Euro IV emissions-compliant engine, anti-lock brakes as standard and a modern-retro styled front grille.

TX4s have already been exported to France, Italy, Turkey, Angola, the Philippines, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean, among others.