The 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony was held in the London Bowl, the main stadium, on August 12. The classic London black cabs, now built by Geely, a Chinese homegrown automaker, as the TX4 model under its Englon brand, appeared at the Ceremony with Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the London Eye in miniature as the most classic icons of the city.

The Spice Girls, one of the most successful British pop girl groups in the world, received the biggest cheers at the Ceremony as they stormed onto the stage on top of five classic black cabs. As the group emerged on the stage in reunion, the black cabs, once a pride and an honor of the British came and appeared as a Chinese brand. Geely marked the Olympics with Chinese imprints in this way while showing the world it has succeeded in creating the London black cab as a global brand.

Once used as a royal car for the Queen, the black cab had 100-odd-years history in Great Britain as renowned as Rolls-Royce and Bentley models. It has been also considered as one of the three icons of London while the other two are Big Ben and double-decker buses. It has become a model cab in the world with its distinctive features and elegant British style.

In November 2006, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC, the manufacturer of the iconic black cab, established a joint venture company in Shanghai to create the cab and named it the Englon TX4 as a key model under one of Geely’s three sub-brands Englon. Most black cabs running on London roads today are from China though people in the city still call them London black cabs as they always like. 

During the Olympics, these traditional cabs with Chinese labels but British gentility were found available almost everywhere on streets. If taking a tour on the cab, one could find they adopt many technologies and carry devices not available in other taxis. For example, they have a turning radius of only 25 ft (8 m) that allows them to navigate small roundabouts; the fold-down ramp with extension is designed for easy access and departure, especially for wheelchair-users; the folding and swivel seats and spacious compartments make mobility particularly comfortable for passengers. The cabs have become part of the life of London people, who have great affection for them, as they are a distinctive cityscape and the embodiment of a London lifestyle.

To date, London black cabs service in China has been available in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. The cabs, having served the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, the 2011 National Para Games and the 2012 Asian Games in Guangzhou, are deemed as a symbol of cities of quality life and well accepted and recognized by an increasing number of customers.