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Will Allied Vehicles now
fit the required turning circle? After a lengthy waiting period, the Conditions of Fitness review of the review has been completed and the result is that the status quo prevails. Gerry Facenna, the MD and owner of Allied Vehicles, the Glasgow-based taxi manufacturer of the Peugeot E7 and principle threat to LTI and the TXII, had threatened to take the PCO / TfL to a judicial review after its initial application to sanction the vehicle was rejected on technical grounds. The authorities later backed down and hence the review of the review. Had it been successful, the E7 would have been licensed for use on London's roads within a short period after the New Year. It would also have transformed the company's fortunes. The E7 is already licensed in many parts of the country and currently builds around 1200 taxis a year. However, Mr Facenna claimed that number could have reached almost 5000 had the review gone their way. So far as the PCO / TfL had been previously concerned, the E7 seven-seater taxi could not meet their turning circle requirements, but had the review come down in their favour, then the turning circle would have no longer been a requirement and E7s – the vehicles many say looks like a converted van – would have become London taxis alongside the TXII. Had London fallen, it was also expected that Edinburgh and Liverpool would follow. Allied employs more than 300 people, from its Possilpark HQ and was established as a motor dealer 11 years ago by Gerry Facenna and his brother, Michael. In the year to January 31, Allied posted pre-tax profits of more than £650,000, a rise of 44% on 2004. The bottom line |
CONDITIONS OF FITNESS – APPEAL THROWN OUT!
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was increased, however, by a sharp reduction in directors' pay.
Could the E7 meet the turning circle requirements? |
process we adopted was, using our expertise in various areas (steering, suspension, BIW, brakes and vehicle dynamics), to brainstorm around the vehicle possible solutions, advantages and disadvantages and what we could do to overcome any foreseen problems." So, had they chosen to, it appears probable that Allied Vehicles could have modified the E7 so as to meet the turning circle requirement. The estimated cost for development and installation would have been around £2million. Some have claimed that if this amount was written off over an 8-year period and based on the production of 1,000 vehicles per annum, an estimated £250 would be added to the price of the E7. The amount should be viewed in the context of the current cost of the modifications already made to the base vehicles by the converters which LTI believe could be as much as £5,000 per vehicle. This was probably the most important decision the cab trade has faced so far. The only question remaining was whether - had the appeal been upheld - whether LTI would have appealed leading to a review of the review of the review? We’ll never know… |
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