Geely Automobile Holdings LtdLEVC, Geely-owned, cuts production due to falling demand for black cabs

London taxi drivers are facing a black cab shortage after the London Electric Vehicle Company, the sole manufacturer of the iconic vehicles, radically scaled back production. Drivers and fleet operators report nine-month waiting times, with Colts Cabs, London's largest fleet operator with more than 1,000 cabs, offered just 10 cars when it attempted to order 30 in March. LEVC, owned by Chinese giant Geely, produced 1,308 cars in 2024 but has since cut output, citing falling demand as the number of licensed taxi drivers in London plunged from about 20,400 in 2020 to 15,900. The company's build-to-order policy and rising costs—the base price of its electric TX cab has risen from under £55,000 in 2018 to more than £74,000—are blamed for a shortfall just as Transport for London rules force retirement of diesel cabs after 12 years, with some 1,300 cars set to be taken off the streets in the next 11 months. LEVC says it is adjusting output for market demand and gearing up for a new model, while the secondhand market remains an alternative for individual drivers.
Geely Automobile Holdings LtdLEVC, Geely-owned, cuts production due to falling demand for black cabs
Ford Motor CompanyLEVC slashes production citing falling demand, causing shortage
Colts Cabs faces shortage, offered only 10 of 30 ordered cabs