Who owns LEVC? The ownership chain, Geely Holding's stake and the 2013 deal
Facts checked Chinese holding 100%
LEVC is Chinese-owned. Geely rescued the assets of the collapsed Manganese Bronze Holdings in 2013 and set up what is now the London Electric Vehicle Company, which it owns outright. The TX taxi and VN5 van are assembled at Ansty Park near Coventry, using semi-complete kits from a Shanghai joint venture -- so the black cab is a British-built, Chinese-owned vehicle.
Geely bought shares in Manganese Bronze Holdings, the London black cab maker, in 2009; after Manganese Bronze went into administration in 2012 Geely rescued part of the business in 2013 as The London Taxi Corporation Limited, later renamed London EV Company. Li Shufu opened the Ansty Park plant near Coventry on 22 March 2017, described by the company as the UK's first plant dedicated solely to electric vehicle production.
The short answer
| Controlled by | Geely Holding |
|---|---|
| Stake | 100% |
| Since | 2013 |
| Kind | brand |
| Origin | GB |
| Name in Chinese | 伦敦电动汽车公司 “loon-DUN dyen-DONG chee-chuh” |
| Top of the chain | Li Shufu |
| Is it Chinese? | Yes |
The chain, step by step
Li Shufu owns Geely Holding at 82.23% since 1986.
Li Shufu founded Geely Holding in 1986 and owns 82.233% of it directly; his son Li Xingxing holds 8.0583% and Ningbo Yima Enterprise Management Partnership 9.7087%, which Polestar's 2025 annual report summarises as Li Shufu owning about 91.9% directly or indirectly.
Geely Holding owns LEVC at 100% since 2013.
Geely bought shares in Manganese Bronze Holdings, the London black cab maker, in 2009; after Manganese Bronze went into administration in 2012 Geely rescued part of the business in 2013 as The London Taxi Corporation Limited, later renamed London EV Company. Li Shufu opened the Ansty Park plant near Coventry on 22 March 2017, described by the company as the UK's first plant dedicated solely to electric vehicle production.
| Holder | Holds | Kind | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Li Shufu | Geely Holding | owns | 82.23% | 1986 |
| Geely Holding | LEVC | owns | 100% | 2013 |
LEVC: questions people ask
- Who owns the London black cab company?
- Geely. LEVC, formerly The London Taxi Company, has been Geely-owned since 2013, when Geely rescued part of Manganese Bronze Holdings out of administration.
- Are London taxis made in China?
- The TX is assembled at LEVC's plant at Ansty Park near Coventry, which opened in 2017. Geely's Chinese operations supply components and joint engineering, and a Shanghai joint venture made earlier TX4 kits.
- Is the LEVC TX fully electric?
- No, it is a range-extended electric vehicle: it drives on its battery and carries a small petrol engine that recharges it. The newer L380 MPV is fully electric.
Related
Sources for LEVC
- London Electric Vehicle Company, Company. Read . Ansty opening, the SOA platform and the model range; the site's country menu supplied the market list.
- Wikipedia, London EV Company (article). Read . Finding aid for the 2006 partnership, the 2009 shareholding, the 2012 administration, the 2013 rescue and the February 2025 move of the L380 into the Geely Galaxy network in China.
- Wikipedia, London Electric Vehicle Company. Read .
- Lotus Technology Inc (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Lotus Technology Inc., Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2025, Item 6.E Share Ownership, footnote 6. Read . Percentages as disclosed for 28 February 2026.
- Polestar (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Polestar Automotive Holding UK PLC, Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2025, Item 7.A. Read .