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Chinese car maker Geely to launch in UK in 2012

Chinese car maker Geely – better known for its ownership of Volvo – will launch in the UK in late 2012. Parent company Geely International Corporation has struck a deal with Manganese Bronze Holdings to be its distributor in the UK market. MBH is the parent company of The London Taxi Company, which manufactures the iconic black cab in Coventry.

Subaru XV Crossover revealed in Shanghai

Subaru XV Crossover Concept has the Qashqai and 3008 in its sites Last week we had a tease for the Subaru XV Concept in the usual form of a dark image with all detail taken out. But it looked like a crossover, and a crossover is what made most sense. And that’s exactly what it turns out to be – Subaru’s pitch at the Peugeot 3008 and Nissan Qashqai.

London Taxi maker Manganese Bronze bought by China’s Geely

China automotive giant Geely has bought Manganese Bronze – makers of the iconic London Black Cab – in an £11.04 million deal. The iconic London Black Cab has been an accident waiting to happen for years, as under investment in making the Black Cab fit for the 21st century saw competition – like the Mercedes Vito Taxi and the Nissan NV200 Cab – start to offer serious competition to the taxi that identifies London. Despite an investment by China’s Geely – when Geely bought 20 per cent of Manganese Bronze, makers of the Black Cab – and the bulk of the Black Cab being produced in China and bolted together in the Midlands, the final nail in the coffin for Manganese Bronze was the recall of 400 TX4 cabs over a steering fault.