Volkswagen.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
Shanghai is now regulating the model of vehicles that taxi firms can use in their operations. Even though it was said last year that taxi firms can opt to either use the Touran people carrier or the Lavida sedan for their operations, the local government wants the firms to choose the Volkswagen Touran.
The Volkswagen Touran is the favored de facto model for Shanghai's taxis by the Shanghai Transport Commission. Firms updating their taxis should choose this model for varied reasons, notwithstanding the fact that the model is more expensive. The spare parts of the model also fetch a high price, to the possible detriment of the taxi firms.
"We will encourage cab companies to choose the Touran model when buying new cars, so as to build a fresh image for Shanghai's taxis," said Sun Jianping, Shanghai Transport Commision's chief.
Currently, there are already 50,000 taxis roaming the streets of Shanghai, but only 3,000 are Tourans. Sun said that this would change in the near future.
"About 10,000 taxis are replaced annually, so the Touran will be the primary model in three to five years," Sun explained.
Tourans were introduced into Shanghai for the 2010 World Expo and were very well-accepted because of the capaciousness and comfy seats the model offers.
A spokesperson for the Shanghai Jinjiang Taxi Co., which is one of the city's biggest four taxi operators, claimed that the reports are true. Spokesman Li Jie said that their company already received encouragement to replace their vehicles with Tourans in the future. The spokesman added that they are already planning to update some of their fleets by March, without pointing out whether the Touran would be the model of choice.
According to Li, the company is hesitating for several reasons. "Tourans are more expensive and so are their spare parts, so they are more costly to maintain," he said.
Compared to Lavida, a Touran costs around 40,000 yuan more, which could be a big factor in a company's decision when buying new units.
"The transport authority said it is in talks with SAIC to get a lower price for us," Li said. "But some of the smaller companies might still choose Lavidas," he added.
