London Taxi Company Coventry plant to create 1,000 jobs

 

A £250m new taxi plant is to be built outside Coventry, creating up to 1,000 new jobs.

The plans have been revealed by the owner of the London Taxi Company (LTC), which makes the iconic black cab.
Chinese manufacturer Geely said the new factory would include research and development and an assembly plant to build the next generation of electric and low-emission vehicles.
The first cars are expected to be made at the Ansty Park site in 2017.


It is thought to be the biggest investment of its type by a Chinese company in the UK and was backed with funding from the government's Regional Growth Fund.

'Past sell-by date'

The news comes on top of an announcement on Wednesday by Jaguar Land Rover to double the size of its base in Whitley.
LTC currently makes just under 2,000 vehicles a year and it is expected to increase production to about 36,000.
The firm has been based in Coventry for nearly 70 years, but in January it announced plans to move from its plant in Holyhead Road to Ansty Park.
Work on the new site is due to begin later this year.
Peter Johansen, Executive Vice President for the LTC's UK operation, said the current plant, home to 240 staff, was "past its sell by date".
"It's raining today and it's probably raining in the factory," he said.
"You need to have modern premises these days to build modern vehicles.
"We're going to embrace modern technologies, lightweight structures, very much drawn from the aircraft industry."