International demand for the iconic TX4 black taxi is booming, Coventry manufacturer Manganese Bronze said yesterday.
Orders for a further 2,500 cabs over three years have been booked in recent weeks.
They are in addition to the 500 advance orders Manganese, which trades as London Taxis International, announced in April.
"Considerable interest continues to be shown by a wide variety of customers in our international markets," the company said in a trading update. "There remains a significant pipeline of potential customers. We believe the underlying appeal will continue in 2008."
Manganese Bronze had said talk of amajor economic downturn had been putting cabbies off new vehicles. But it said yesterday passenger demand for taxis remained healthy.
First quarter sales were below the same period last year - but comparisons were skewed by the launch of the TX4 in early 2007.
Trading was in line with expectations and the balance sheet strong, the company said. It also reported "further excellent progress" with the start of prototype production of the TX4 in China.
