London Banter - View Single Post

Recliner[_3_] · January 31st 17, 10:50 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 10:24:00 +0000 (UTC), d wrote:

On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 10:15:58 -0000 (UTC)
Recliner wrote:
tim... wrote:
And ISTM that if you are going to have to spend billions on zero-emission
R&D that is more likely to be profitable if the product you are making is
more generic than a "London" cab.

Did you actually read the story that triggered this thread? It appears
not. You appear also to know nothing about Geely, which you ludicrously
described as a "very small niche company".

For such a large company you'd think they could have designed something a
bit less utterly butt ugly than the horror that was presented the other day.

It's an all-new design that was deliberately created to look like a
traditional London cab.

Quote:

The TX5 design concept captures the spirit of past generations of LTC
models and draws on more than sixty years of style that has made the
black cab and iconic sight on the streets of London. Senior vice
president of Geely design, Peter Horbury, told Auto Express: “The
brief was clear. It has to look like a London taxi.”

The new design uses a similarly vertical front grille, and rounded
headlights, with a more upright stance and chrome touches. While the
interior design is still under consideration, the six-seat layout has
been confirmed, alongside the large panoramic glass roof for a more
“premium experience.”

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/98450/new-2017-london-taxi-more-details-of-cleaner-tx5-hybrid-revealed

Is there some TfL requirement along with the turning circle that London taxi
designs are all done by the RNIB? The current design looks like Noddys car,
the metrocab was a box on wheels, the old TX was straight out the 1950s.

- The taxis are inevitably boxy, as the aim is to carry 5/6 passengers
plus some luggage using the least possible road space.

- They are upright because they travel too slowly for the drag
coefficient to matter.

- They need to be high enough for passengers to find it easy to get
into and out of. They also need to be high enough to have a flat
floor.

- They need a large grille as they spend a lot of time idling in
traffic, so they need lots of cooling air. The earlier TX4 model had
engine fires because of the lack of cooling air.

- They should look distinctive, so they're not confused with other
vehicles.

Factor all that in, and it's not surprising they look the way they do.