British icon on wheels made in China

FENGJING, Shanghai: London Taxis are as British as bowler hats and the Big Ben. But the latest models coming off the new assembly line are unlikely to ever touch an English road.

At a sprawling factory in the lush green suburbs of Shanghai, young workers are gearing up for full-scale production of black cabs, one of Britain's most iconic vehicles. It's part of an alliance that aims to give the distinctive black cab a greater presence outside its namesake city.

London Taxi International (LTI), which will continue to build nine out of 10 cabs used in Britain at a factory in Coventry, couldn't increase production at its small-scale, high-cost plant. So it turned to a partner - and to China - as a way to drive overseas expansion.