London’s iconic black cabs will now ply on Indian roads, but with an eco-friendly change. The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) brought the TX electric shuttle to India earlier this year for around Rs 80 lakh-1 crore.
So far, about 10 of these iconic vehicles have been sold.
The company’s roots can be traced back to 1908 — when it started making the trademark shuttles. Although, both the e-taxi and cars are longer and more spacious than the original back cabs.
According to a report in The Times of India, talks are underway to have some components manufactured in India so that the vehicles can be made available at a lower price. The electronic vehicles are currently being imported into the domestic market as completely built units by an Indian company.
The TX Electric Shuttle was on display at Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday celebration hosted by the British High Commission in Delhi on March 30. The British monarch will turn 96 on April 21 and is completing 70 years on the throne.
A British High Commission statement said: “Physical exhibits at the (birthday party) include: The iconic London Electric Vehicle Black Cab, which also hopes to introduce their Range Extender Electric Vehicle in India… British multinational toy retailer Hamleys in partnership with Reliance India (which now owns the marquee British brand).”
Elaborating on the import of the cars, a representative of the company told The Times of India that being completely built units that attract high duty and the TX MUV is fully customisable and costs between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1 crore.
The company, headquartered in England, may scale up its presence depending on the market response.
